There is always a risk associated with using debit and credit cards at eateries and shops. Recently, customers of two eateries at an IT corridor were allegedly cheated of lakhs.
Nine employees of a juice shop and an eatery at an IT park in Perungudi were arrested in connection with phishing of debit and credit cards information using a skimmer.
The gang had illegally taken more than Rs 10 lakh from accounts of several people, mostly techies, using duplicate cards, reports said. The police received complaints from employees of a private firm in Perungudi that their money vanished from bank accounts mysteriously. Subsequently, the anti-bank fraud wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) probed the case and found they were victims of ‘Phishing’.
During investigation, the police team found that all the complainants had used their debit or credit cards at two shops at a cafeteria located inside an IT park.
The probe revealed that the two places did not accept cash and customers were made to pay only using cards. The staff misused this and stole customers’ card data using skimmers. The main accused were said to be Rahul Singh and Kundan Singh.
Whenever the duo was in-charge of the front desk, customers’ cards would be skimmed and PIN numbers noted down. Meanwhile, Vipin Kumar – another accused – made duplicate cards using the stolen data. With the fake cards, the perpetrators withdrew money from ATMs in Kolkata and Patna to the tune of Rs 10 lakh.
The other accused have been identified as Suresh Kumar, Rahul Kumar, Sudhir, Pikash Kumar, Kundan Kumar and Rambir Kumar. A laptop, a skimmer device, 12 mobile phones, fake debit cards, five point of sale (PoS) machines and Rs 1.48 lakh have been seized from them. The shop owner did not have a clue about it, added the reports.
A laptop, a skimmer device, 12 mobile phones, fake debit cards, five point of sale (PoS) machines and Rs 1.48 lakh have been seized.