MVD fine scam: One click costs Wayanad businessman around ₹2 lakh

Kalpetta: A single click on a fraudulent message claiming that a fine was pending against his vehicle in the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) cost a Wayanad native ₹2.165 lakh, in yet another instance of cyber fraud targeting unsuspecting motorists.

Jamal K, a native of Varadoor, allegedly fell victim to the scam after receiving a text message the other day warning him about pending traffic fines against his vehicle and threatening possible court proceedings if the dues were not cleared within the stipulated time.

A businessman in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, Jamal told Onmanorama that subsequently he lodged a complaint with the Wayanad Cyber Police Station and immediately contacted Federal Bank to have his bank account blocked to prevent further unauthorised transactions.

According to Jamal, he received the message on the morning of November 3. Concerned about the purported penalty and the possibility of legal action, he clicked on the link provided in the message in an attempt to check the details. However, the website did not display any information about pending fines.

To verify the authenticity of the alert, he subsequently logged into the official website of the Motor Vehicles Department. Much to his relief, there were no pending fines against his vehicle there either.

Convinced that there was nothing to worry about, Jamal turned his attention to other pressing matters, particularly the construction of his house, which was in progress.

However, the real trouble came later that night. Around midnight, he began receiving alerts on his mobile phone, including a message prompting him to update WhatsApp. He did not pay much attention to them at the time.

It was only the following morning, when he checked his phone, that he realised something was seriously wrong. Several bank transaction alerts revealed that money had been siphoned off from his account through multiple transactions.

The fraudulent transactions included three payments of ₹5,000 each through Google Pay, another transaction of ₹1,19,208 through PhonePe and a further transfer of ₹82,333 through the same payment platform. The total loss amounted to ₹2,16,541.

"I have submitted all the details to the Cyber Cell, whose officials have also contacted me several times in connection with the complaint," Jamal said.

Despite losing such a substantial amount, Jamal considers himself relatively fortunate. The fraudsters, apparently, could not withdraw the entire amount available in his bank account. A substantial portion of the balance was a loan he had recently secured for the construction of his house.

The Wayanad Cyber Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. However, investigators are yet to make any significant breakthrough in the case, Cyber Cell officials said.