An SMS said the account would be blocked by evening
The link opened a page that looked exactly like the bank's. The shopkeeper entered his details in a hurry.
- Recovered
- ₹40,000 frozen
- Reported by
- Anonymous Ludhiana, Punjab
How it happened
The SMS arrived during the busiest hour of the shop. It said the KYC had expired and the account would be suspended by 6 pm unless updated, with a short link. The sender ID resembled his bank's.
The page that opened carried the bank's logo, colours and login layout. He entered the customer ID and password, then the OTP that arrived seconds later, believing it confirmed the update.
Three debits followed in eleven minutes. When he called the number printed on his passbook, the bank confirmed no KYC notice had been sent.
Step by step
Yes
This account was submitted by a reader and reviewed by our moderation team. Names, numbers and identifying details have been removed. It is published for awareness and is not a legal record.
What this teaches
- A bank does not ask for KYC through a link in an SMS, and does not suspend an account the same evening.
- An OTP is the last gate before money moves. Nothing legitimate needs it to 'update' anything.
- Verify only through the number printed on your passbook or card, never a number in the message.