Alert SBI Staff Foil Digital Arrest Scam, Save Elderly Couple’s ₹46 Lakh Life Savings

Hyderabad: The vigilant staff at the State Bank of India (SBI) Chandrayangutta Branch recently thwarted a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme, saving a retired PSU employee and his wife from losing ₹46 lakh of their life savings. The couple had walked into the bank on Friday, requesting an RTGS transfer of ₹46 lakh to an ICICI Bank account in Aurangabad, but were stopped by the sharp instincts of the bank’s staff.

B. Praveen, the senior associate at the counter, noticed the couple’s nervous behavior and immediately escorted them to the branch manager, Dr. Shiva Kumar. The couple, visibly relieved, then disclosed their story, which revealed a frightening ordeal of cyber fraud.

The elderly couple had received a video call from a person posing as a CBI officer, claiming that their identity had been misused for a ₹100 crore scam involving an individual named Sunil Goel. The scammers told the couple that the police were searching for them, threatening them with arrest unless they transferred ₹46 lakh to an account immediately.

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For three days, the couple was held hostage under video surveillance by the fraudsters, who intimidated them into complying with their demands. The cybercriminals manipulated the elderly couple into transferring funds from their fixed deposit account to prevent their alleged arrest, even going as far as to claim that their family members would also be arrested.

Realizing something was wrong, the couple visited the SBI branch in desperation to carry out the transaction. However, the bank staff quickly sprang into action. After verifying the situation with the couple’s children and contacting the Cyber Crime Helpline and Canara Bank, it was confirmed that no such fraudulent account existed in the couple’s name.

The SBI team’s quick thinking helped prevent a major financial loss for the elderly couple, who expressed their gratitude to the bank staff for saving their life savings from the fraudsters.

The incident serves as a timely reminder of the increasing sophistication of cyber scams targeting vulnerable individuals and the importance of vigilance in preventing such crimes.

Key Highlights:

• SBI staff saved ₹46 lakh from a digital arrest scam.
• Cybercriminals impersonated CBI officers, blackmailing the elderly couple.
• Quick action from SBI staff and verification with authorities thwarted the fraud.
• Victims thanked the SBI team for preventing the loss of their life savings.

This incident underscores the need for increased awareness about cyber fraud and the importance of safeguarding financial transactions, especially for senior citizens.