Youth loses 20 lakh to fraud SMS alert

MANGALURU: A youth lost Rs 20 lakh after being duped by an SMS alert alleging that he won a lottery. The victim is a resident of Kadaba in Puttur taluk, and works in Kolar. In November 2014, he received an SMS alert stating he has won a bumper prize of Rs 1 crore through Punjab Lottery Scheme. However, he was asked to pay a processing fee of Rs 10,000. Without further enquiry, the youth deposited the amount in the bank account . Within a few days, he received another SMS that asked him to pay "RBI transaction charges" and the tax. All this amounted to Rs 20 lakh, said Dakshina Kannada SP Sharanappa SD. The SP told reporters on Friday that instances such as these keep recurring across the country. Due to lack of awareness and the greed of people, they lose out on a huge sum. "Awareness needs to be created against such fraudulent SMSes and emails that cheat people in the guise of a bumper prize. The youth from Kadaba has come to me seeking help. He has sold gold and other valuables to make the payment, presuming he will get a huge amount as bumper prize," Sharanappa said. He added that people should be vigilant when making such online transactions. Police is now mulling over launching a special awareness drive to prevent such SMS and online frauds, he said. "We will upload awareness tips on our blog and will also plan a special drive to educate people against such frauds," Sharanappa said. -TOI