Fraudsters have managed to steal customer database from ICICI Prudential causing a "loss" of over Rs 90 lakh to the insurance major after some policy holders either surrendered or discontinued policies believing the cheats.

Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing have launched a probe into it following the registration of a case under sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act last week on a complaint filed by ICICI Prudential on March 3, a senior police official said.

The fraudsters made hundreds of calls to policy holders after managing to get hold of the customer database, inducing them to put money in certain accounts to avail bonus and providing wrong information about their policies among other acts.

"It appears that due to malicious practice of some unscrupulous people, ICICI Prudential has received complaints with regard to calls made allegedly on behalf of the company giving false promises of bonus, scholarship etc to genuine policy holders by tele-calling and inducing them to buy new policies of different agencies," the official said.

The tele-callers have stolen the data and misused it, he said.

According to the complaint filed by ICICI Prudential, certain people have been attempting to cheat its customers by impersonating as its representatives after stealing their details, including their policy details, from the database.

"... We received several complaints from our customers complaining about the phone calls being received from people posing employees of the company and as officials of IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) making various promises inducing them to do certain acts which were prejudicial for the interests of the customers.

"Till date, we have received a total of 712 complaints from our regular customers against such fake/spurious calls. We may point out that there is a possibility that a large number of customers might not have filed such complaints," the complaint said.

ICICI Prudential also claimed that "eight insurance policies have been discontinued and 48 policies have been surrendered by our customers, resulting into a loss of Rs 90,93,188 to the company" due to these illegal actions though it was able to satisfy most of its customers and averted losses that could have incurred.

It said that there was an unauthorised access of confidential data relating to customers and the 712 complaints it received from its customers showed that their names and phone numbers were accessed by the fraudsters.

The company claimed one of the complainants told them that he received a text message giving all details about his policy and fund value while another complained that he was told by cheats that there was fraud in his policy and that he has to pay Rs 20,000 to rectify it.

Yet another customer was told that he was offered bonus and reversal of commission paid to agents in his previous policy provided he purchase a new policy, the ICICI Prudential said in the complaint.

Some of the customers who were approached by the fraudsters were senior citizens, the police official said.