Mangaluru, Aug 29: A youth in Dakshina Kannada district was left poorer by Rs 20 lakh as he was duped by an SMS alert claiming that he won a lottery.
Without further enquiry, the youth deposited the amount in the bank account. Within a few days, he received another SMS that asked him to pay "RBI transaction charges" and the tax. All this amounted to Rs 20 lakh, according to the complainant.
Sharanappa SD, Superintended of Police, Dakshina Kannada said, that instances such as these keep recurring across the country. Due to lack of awareness and the greed of people, they lose out on a huge sum.
"Awareness needs to be created against such fraudulent SMSes and emails that cheat people in the guise of a bumper prize. The youth from Kadaba has come to me seeking help. He has sold gold and other valuables to make the payment, presuming he will get a huge amount as bumper prize," Sharanappa said.
He added that people should be vigilant when making such online transactions.
Police is now mulling over launching a special awareness drive to prevent such SMS and online frauds, he said. "We will upload awareness tips on our blog and will also plan a special drive to educate people against such frauds," Sharanappa said.
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