Petrol bunk staff helps strangers claiming family emergency; lands in trouble

A new form of cyber fraud has surfaced in Mysuru city, with fraudsters exploiting people’s sympathy by fabricating family emergencies and persuading unsuspecting strangers to exchange cash for  UPI transfers.

Victims who agree to help often find themselves facing an unexpected ordeal, as the money credited to their accounts is linked to cybercrime cases registered in other States.

In some instances, their bank accounts have been subjected to lien markings (temporarily frozen or blocked) by investigating agencies.

The modus operandi is simple. Fraudsters approach members of the public claiming that a parent is seriously ill, has met with an accident or requires urgent medical treatment.

They request immediate cash and assure the victim that the amount will be transferred digitally through UPI. Once the money is handed over, the recipient later discovers that the transferred funds are linked to cyber fraud.

Case at Alanahalli petrol bunk

One such incident was reported at a petrol bunk in Alanahalli on May 25. Around 6 pm, two unidentified men approached the cashier, claiming that their father was unwell and urgently needed money. They said,  a friend would transfer the amount online and requested cash in return.

Moved by their plea, the cashier shared his PhonePe number linked to his bank account. Within minutes, Rs. 98,000 was credited from an unknown account, following which he handed over the cash to the men.

Second UPI transfer

The following day, at around 3 pm, another pair of strangers approached the petrol bunk with a similar story. Believing the request to be genuine, the staff once again accepted a PhonePe transfer of Rs. 98,000 and handed over the equivalent amount in cash.

However, later that night, the cashier received a call from a colleague informing him that the Rs. 98,000 credited to his account had been flagged in connection with a cyber fraud case registered in Delhi. A lien of Rs. 95,237 had already been marked on his bank account.

On May 27, a friend informed him that Rs. 15,000 had also been debited from his account. Realising that they had been drawn into a cyber fraud network, the petrol bunk staff approached the city’s Cyber Crimes, Economic Offences, and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station and lodged a complaint.

Mysuru has already witnessed a surge in cybercrime cases, with residents losing crores of rupees to online scams. Police say, this latest tactic represents a worrying trend, with fraudsters posing as distressed individuals to gain the trust of their targets.