Scammers hack mobile phone of Himachal Pradesh State Co-operative Bank's customer to withdraw Rs 11.55 crore

In a shocking case of online fraud scammers managed to withdraw Rs 11.55 crore from Himachal Pradesh State Co-operative bank by using a customers mobile phone. As reported by PTI, the fraudsters convinced the customer to download a mobile application on his mobile phone. With the help of the mobile application scammers managed to get access to his bank account in Haiti’s branch of the bank in Chamba district. The stolen money was then transferred into 20 different accounts using NEFT and RTGS payment methods.


How did the scam took placeAs reported by PTI, the hackers first comprised a customers mobile phone by using an application called HimPaisa. With the help of the malicious app, the hackers got access the bank’s Internet banking system at the Halti branch in Chamba district. After ganging access of the banking system, the fraudsters stole the funds and transferred the amount to 20 different accounts.

The fraudulent transactions occurred between May 11 and 12, but remained undetected until May 14, due to a bank holiday on May 13. The scam was discovered when the bank received its transaction report from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).


Steps taken by the bankAfter the incident came into light, the chief information security officer of the bank filed a zero FIR with the Sadar police station in Shimla, and the case was transferred to the Cyber Police Station. After this the authorise blocked all the accounts which were part of the fraudulent transactions, ensuring that no further withdrawals occur.

A team from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is expected to arrive in Shimla to conduct a detailed probe at the bank’s data center. Investigators are working to determine how the hackers breached the system and whether additional security vulnerabilities exist.


RBI guidelines to stay safe from online scamsThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued several guidelines to help individuals stay safe from online scams and financial fraud. Here are some key precautions recommended by the RBI:

• Never share your account details, login credentials, PIN, OTP, or card information with anyone, including bank officials.
• Do not click on unknown links or download attachments from suspicious emails.
• Never download unknown apps that request access to your phone or computer.
• Scammers misuse the ‘collect request’ feature of UPI by sending fake payment requests.
• Always use the official website of your bank or financial service provider to find contact details.
• If you suspect fraud, report it to your bank and the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or visit cybercrime.gov.in.