Fraudsters posing as bank officials used a malicious WhatsApp link and OTPs to access an 84-year-old retired officer’s account, police said.
An 84-year-old retired Indian Air Force officer in Pune has lost Rs 4.5 lakh after cyber fraudsters impersonated bank officials and persuaded him to act on what they said was a pension-related life certificate process, police said. Kondhwa police registered a case on October 23 under the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita after the complainant first approached officers on October 10 and also reported the matter on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
According to the first information report, the scam unfolded on October 8 and 9, when the veteran received calls from an unknown person claiming to be from a public sector bank. The caller told him that a life certificate had to be generated for his pension and that a WhatsApp link would be sent to complete the task. The Times of India reported that the link led to malicious software being installed on his phone, after which he was asked to share personal details and one-time passwords. That allowed the fraudsters to access his account and move Rs 4.5 lakh to another account.
The Central Pension Accounting Office has warned pensioners repeatedly that fraudsters often pose as officials offering help with online life certificate submissions. It says they may ask for a pension payment order number, date of birth, bank details, Aadhaar number and OTPs, then use that information to enter pension accounts and siphon off money. The office says neither it nor banks or other government agencies ask pensioners to share annual life certificates or sensitive details, including OTPs, by phone.
The case adds to a pattern of scams targeting retired defence personnel through pension verification and identification processes. In a similar case reported earlier by The Times of India, a retired Air Force officer in Bengaluru lost money after being told to install an application for pension verification. Defence pensioners are meant to use official systems such as the Ministry of Defence’s SPARSH portal, which is designed for pension administration and annual identification, and authorities say pension-related services should be handled only through official channels.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
