In Juhu, a senior citizen attempting to book air tickets for Dubai fell victim to cyber fraud, losing Rs 4.4 lakh to deceptive individuals. The fraudsters cunningly replaced the contact number of the legitimate ticket booking company, Skyscanner, with their own, exploiting unsuspecting individuals seeking to purchase air tickets. The Juhu police have initiated an FIR and are actively investigating the case.
According to the police, Gita Shenoy (64) was searching for air tickets online on Tuesday when she was directed to the Skyscanner website. Upon calling the mobile number provided on the site, the person on the other end, falsely claiming to be from Skyscanner, instructed her to download the remote-access app called Any Desk on her mobile phone. This app grants third-party control over a device. The fraudster then coerced her into sharing the received code, thereby gaining control of her mobile phone.
Exploiting this access, the fraudster proceeded to transfer Rs 4.4 lakh from the elderly woman’s bank account. Attempts to contact the number again proved futile, leaving the victim to realize she had fallen prey to deception. Subsequently, she reported the incident to the police.