Bengaluru Resident Suffers Financial Loss After Falling Prey to Phishing Scam

Cybercrime Plagues Bengaluru: Rs 4,143 Crore Lost in Three Years

A 56-year-old company director in Bengaluru has become the latest victim of an online scam, losing nearly Rs 74,000 after falling for a phishing message that allegedly allowed him to encash bank reward points. The incident took place on April 15, when the man, a resident of Banashankari I Stage, received a message and a call from an unknown number, claiming it was the “last day” to redeem bank reward points and including a link to complete the process.

Believing the message to be genuine, the man clicked on the link and was asked to choose a gift and pay a small service fee of Rs 34. He made the payment using his credit card, only to receive alerts showing that Rs 73,889 had been withdrawn from his credit card without his permission. The amount was debited within minutes of making the small payment.

The victim immediately contacted his bank and was informed that his credit card details had been compromised. The bank froze the card to stop further loss. The man then reported the incident to the national cybercrime helpline by calling 1930 and later filed a formal complaint with the police. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

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Bengaluru residents have lost more than Rs 4,100 crore to cybercrime over the last three years, with the police able to recover only 7% of the total amount. According to data accessed by Moneycontrol from Bengaluru City Police records, between January 2023 and October 31, 2025, the city reported 44,177 cybercrime cases. During this period, total financial losses stood at Rs 4,143 crore.

Investment scams, phishing messages, online payment frauds, and so-called “digital arrest” scams were among the main reasons behind the surge. In one of the biggest cases reported in Karnataka, a 57-year-old IT professional from Bengaluru lost Rs 31.83 crore after fraudsters kept her under pressure for six months using fake law enforcement threats.