I’m branch head of Central Bank, Mumbai. Your ATM card needs renewal. It will be blocked till it gets renewed. Tell me your ATM secret code number so that it gets renewed right now or else you will be in trouble.”
This call had come to a person of Sundargarh district about 10 days back. Believing that the caller is the branch head of the Central Bank, the person immediately informed him about his ATM card number. To his shock, six days later he came to know that Rs50,000 had been withdrawn from his account.Victim Arjun Thappa, a resident at TCI Chowk here, had been to Sundargarh to work there on December 15. While he was working, the call was made to him over his mobile phone.
On December 21, Thappa got a message that Rs200 had been withdrawn from his account. The next day, when he rushed to the Rourkela based Central Bank and enquired about it, he was told that a total of Rs50,000 had been withdrawn from his account in three phases. The sum of money had been withdrawn from his account on December 15, 16 and 21. However, Thappa had not lodged a complaint. “We have not yet received any complaint. But as soon as we receive one, we will investigate the matter,” said Brahmani Tarang police station IIC U Pradhan.