What began as routine banking visits turned into a critical intervention that saved cybercrime victims from suffering even greater financial damage. Alert bank managers in the state stepped in at the right moment, preventing customers from transferring large sums to cyber fraudsters.
According to SP (cybercrime) Rahul Gupta, two vigilant bank managers together saved over Rs 1 crore belonging to customers who had already lost more than Rs 1 crore in digital arrest and investment fraud cases. Their timely questioning and awareness helped stop further losses.
In one digital arrest case, a South Goa-based woman, Sanjana (name changed), visited her Canara Bank branch in Chicalim to prematurely close her fixed deposit. Branch manager Smita Rane asked for the reason, and Sanjana claimed her sister urgently needed money. Her anxious behaviour raised suspicion.
The following day, when Sanjana returned to open her locker and sell her gold, Rane again questioned the need for such large transactions. While inside the bank, Sanjana received repeated phone calls and began trembling.
“On being questioned, she revealed that he asked her to send money immediately. Rane then firmly asked her to disclose the details and show the number from which she was receiving the calls. It was found that the calls were from cyber fraudsters impersonating officials of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and Mumbai crime branch, falsely claiming that Sanjana’s SIM card was involved in illegal activities and that she was under digital arrest for the past few days,” Gupta said.
After counselling by the branch manager, Sanjana realised she was being cheated and immediately reported the matter to the police, Gupta added.
In another case, HDFC Bank Old Goa branch manager Vinu Thomas became alert when customer Ramesh (name changed) attempted large RTGS transfers. Ramesh appeared calm and said he was buying a property.
“On examining the bank statement, Thomas noticed credits from the finance institution, indicating that Ramesh had also sold gold. This raised further suspicion. Thomas contacted Ramesh later in the evening and educated him about cyber fraud,” Gupta said.
“After reflecting overnight, Ramesh consulted Thomas again the next morning and confirmed that he fell victim to an investment scam. The timely intervention prevented further financial loss,” the SP said.
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