Stories
WhatsApp 'NO' Reply Costs CA ₹1.70 Lakh Without OTP or Link
- •A Chartered Accountant lost ₹1.70 lakh from their bank accounts by simply replying 'NO' to a WhatsApp message.
- •This new banking fraud method occurred without the victim clicking any link or sharing an OTP.
- •The fraud began with a fake WhatsApp message about a debit, asking the victim to reply 'NO' if the transaction was not theirs.
- •Police state that replying 'NO' allegedly gave fraudsters control over the phone, leading to withdrawals from ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank accounts.
- •The case highlights the critical need for caution with WhatsApp messages, especially those concerning suspicious transactions or asking for immediate responses.
Key Questions Answered
The fraud began when the victim received a fake WhatsApp message claiming money had been debited and instructing him to reply 'NO' if he did not make the transaction. According to the police, replying 'NO' gave the scammers control over his phone, allowing them to withdraw ₹1.70 lakh from his ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank accounts without clicking any links or sharing an OTP.
A total of ₹1.70 lakh was illegally withdrawn from the victim's ICICI Bank and IndusInd Bank accounts during this WhatsApp banking fraud incident.
Unlike many common cyber frauds that require victims to click on malicious links or share One-Time Passwords (OTPs), this unique case involved no link-clicking and no OTP sharing, as fraudsters gained control of the phone simply because the victim replied 'NO' to a message.
