Bengaluru Woman Duped in ₹2 Lakh Fake IVR Call Scam

A Bengaluru woman became a victim of a sophisticated cyber scam, losing ₹2 lakh after responding to an automated phone call that imitated her bank's official Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.

According to a report by Times of India, the incident occurred on January 20, when the woman received a call from a number that appeared to be from a nationalized bank, with the caller ID showing SBI, where she had an account.

The pre-recorded message claimed that ₹2 lakh was being transferred from her account and instructed her to confirm or dispute the transaction by pressing certain keys. Initially unsure, she ultimately pressed the option to deny the transfer. However, moments later, the call ended, and she received an alert notifying her that ₹2 lakh had been withdrawn from her account.

Realizing she had been scammed, the woman rushed to her bank, where officials advised her to report the incident immediately to the cybercrime helpline (1930) and file a police complaint. The case was later registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC Section 318 (cheating).

Investigators suspect that scammers may have employed a more advanced strategy than usual. Unlike typical IVR scams that trick victims into sharing sensitive banking details, this case stands out because the woman did not directly enter any credentials.

A senior police officer speculated that the victim might have unknowingly provided key information or that the fraudsters have developed a new method to bypass security measures. Investigations are ongoing to determine if a new IVR-based scam technique is involved.