International phone call promising a huge reward ended in a major financial loss for a doctor in Karnataka’s Mangaluru. The victim was cheated of ₹22 lakh in an online fraud before a timely alert by a Canara Bank official helped prevent further losses. The case is now being investigated by the Cyber Economic and Narcotic police.
According to police officials, the doctor received a call from abroad in which the caller praised his “good work” and claimed he was being rewarded with USD 2.5 million. Shortly after, another caller contacted him while impersonating a customs officer. The caller said a parcel carrying the promised amount had arrived in the doctor’s name.
To make the claim appear genuine, the fraudster told the doctor that the parcel could be released only after paying customs duty and processing charges. A sense of urgency was created to ensure quick compliance.
Trusting the claims, the doctor visited a nearby Canara Bank branch over 3 consecutive days and transferred money to multiple bank accounts as instructed. Each transfer was presented as a compulsory payment linked to customs clearance. Police said the fraudsters split the amounts and routed them through different accounts to avoid detection and complicate tracking.
The repeated visits and unusual transaction pattern raised suspicion for a bank official. Acting promptly, the official contacted the Cyber Economic and Narcotic police and sought verification before allowing further transfers.
On Saturday, police confirmed that the doctor had been targeted in a cyber fraud. By then, ₹22 lakh had already been transferred. Following the alert, the doctor immediately stopped further payments and filed a formal complaint.
Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy credited the coordination between banks and law enforcement. “This is a clear example of how vigilance by bank staff can prevent citizens from suffering devastating financial losses,” he said. He also noted that police had recently urged banks to closely monitor unusual transactions.
Police said the scam followed a common pattern involving false promises of large foreign rewards, impersonation of officials, demands for fees, and routing money through multiple accounts. Authorities stressed that no government agency demands money over phone calls to release parcels or rewards.
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