Hyderabad: A 36-year-old man from Secunderabad lost Rs.2.47 lakh in a cyber fraud after receiving a fake SMS claiming to be from DTDC courier, police said on Tuesday.
According to officials, the victim received a message stating that a second delivery attempt of his parcel had failed. Since he was expecting his vehicle’s Registration Certificate (RC), he believed the message was genuine and clicked on the link provided.
Immediately after clicking, the victim’s phone froze, and several OTP messages started appearing. Within minutes, he received alerts showing that Rs.2.47 lakh had been spent from his credit card. The man quickly locked his card using his banking app and contacted Kotak Bank’s helpline to block the card and lodge a complaint.
Following the incident, the Cybercrime Police urged the media to help raise public awareness about such scams, which are becoming increasingly common. They warned citizens not to trust courier delivery messages or click on unknown links, even if they appear to be from reputed companies. “People should verify their delivery details only through the official websites or apps of courier companies,” police said. “Never share OTPs, PINs, or card details with anyone.”
Officials also advised citizens to regularly monitor their accounts using official banking apps and to act swiftly in case of any suspicious transactions.
Victims of cyber fraud can report incidents by calling the helpline number 1930 or visiting http://www.cybercrime.gov.in . For emergencies, the Cybercrime Police can also be reached via WhatsApp or call at 8712665171.
Cybercrime officials reiterated that no courier service or bank ever asks customers to click links or share personal details, urging the public to stay alert and protect themselves from online scams.
