Scam Alert! 78-year-old man loses over ₹4 lakhs on attempt to cancel tickets on IRCTC website

livemint.com:

₹4 lakh due to cyber criminals. The episode occurred when he attempted to cancel a train ticket through the IRCTC website. It has been reported that he stumbled upon a counterfeit website resembling a legitimate railway ticketing platform and subsequently received a phone call from an individual impersonating a railway official.

M. Mohammed Basheer from Kozhikode, recounted to Mathurbhumi News that after visiting the dubious website, he was contacted by an individual who falsely claimed to be an employee of the railway. The individual posing as an "official" conversed fluently in both English and Hindi, guiding Basheer to install an application named 'Rest Desk'.

This app, however, provided the cybercriminals with access to Basheer's mobile phone. In addition to this, Basheer inadvertently disclosed his bank account particulars and ATM card number to the imposter. Mint could not independently confirm the development.

Shortly thereafter, he received a notification indicating that a significant sum of money had been withdrawn from his savings account. Alarmed by this development, he promptly visited his bank, only to discover that a staggering amount of ₹4 lakh had been taken from his fixed deposit account as well. Subsequent investigation uncovered that Basheer inadvertently downloaded the 'Rest Desk' app, which served as a gateway for the fraudsters to gain access to his smartphone.

The illicit transaction involved four distinct withdrawals, totaling ₹4,05,919, with the funds being debited from a location in Kolkata. Presently, law enforcement authorities hold suspicions that the perpetrators behind this scam could potentially have affiliations with individuals from Bengal and Bihar. This occurrence follows closely on