Income Tax Officer loses 48K in online reward points scam

A 48-year-old IRS officer, Nishi Padma, from the Income Tax Department lost Rs 48,902 in an online reward point scam.

She received a message from an unknown number claiming her bank reward points were about to expire, urging her to click a link and provide details to claim them.

After entering an OTP from the message, money was deducted from her savings account. Unable to reach the scammer, she reported the incident to the Central Division Cyber Crime Police, who registered a case under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The police are now trying to trace the fraudster and recover the funds. Despite frequent warnings, many still fall victim to such scams, noted a senior cyber crime officer.