Stories
Senior Citizen Defrauded of Rs 2.5 Lakh While Searching for Aadhaar Helpline on Google
- •An 81-year-old retired professor from Parel lost Rs 2,58,699.42 after searching for an Aadhaar helpline on Google.
- •The victim used a contact number found through a Justdial link and spoke with a fraudster.
- •After providing personal details, he was asked to pay Rs 5 online, which he initially refused.
- •He later received several OTP messages and noticed unauthorized transactions from his Canara Bank account.
- •Authorities urge citizens to verify helpline numbers only from official websites and avoid sharing banking details.
Key Questions Answered
The senior citizen searched on Google for the Aadhaar card helpline number, clicked on an Aadhaar Help Center link on the Justdial website, and contacted a mobile number provided there. After providing personal information and disconnecting a call where he was asked to pay Rs 5, multiple OTPs were sent and a total of Rs 2,58,699.42 was debited from his Canara Bank account.
After initially disconnecting the call, he received nine messages containing OTPs and noticed a small debit of Rs 1.14, prompting him to change his internet banking password on instructions from his bank manager. Later, around 12:00 PM on October 7, 2026, he received seven SMS messages indicating that Rs 2,58,699.42 had been completely debited from his account.
Citizens are advised not to share OTPs or confidential banking-related information with unknown individuals. Helpline numbers should always be strictly verified directly from the official websites of the respective organizations rather than relying solely on search engine links.
