KBC lucky draw? Beware, warn cops

Hyderabad: You have won a lucky draw in Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), heard this from your unknown caller? Then it is wise to end the call immediately.

Fraudsters claiming so usually contact on Whatsapp but according to sources, these calls mainly come from numbers with a ‘+92’ country code, that of Pakistan, TOI reports.

“There was a case a few months ago, wherein a housewife received a call stating that she had won a lucky draw in KBC. Even though she had not participated in any such contest, she gave away around Rs 14 lakh towards (what was claimed to be) GST and other taxes in different phases. In a similar incident, a man gave away Rs 5 lakh after he was told he won lottery in KBC,” said Rachakonda ACP (cybercrime), S Harinath.

The incident is reported from Hyderabad where the police officers received a complaint from a man stating he received a similar call with (+92) country code.

“I received a complaint on WhatsApp. The person said that the country code, he noticed, was Pakistan, and therefore he did not give away any personal details. He reported the number straight away to us,” the ACP said.

So far the police have recorded 11 such cases from across the city. The Cops have alarmed the city residents from falling into such traps and report the matter as soon as they receive a similar call since several victims have lost money believing the caller.

Another victim from Magalhat said he had received a call from a +92 number.

“They informed me that my number was selected in a lucky draw conducted by KBC and that I had won a cash prize worth Rs 25 lakh. To claim the amount, they asked me to forward an amount of Rs 30,000 towards processing fee,” he said.

Once the fee, the victim was asked to make further payments, towards other taxes and service charges.

Only after transferring another Rs 4.95 lakh did he realise he was conned.
“The fraudster can use any country code, Pakistan, Dubai, Singapore etc. They may call from another number use an Indian code, using virtual applications. In 90% of KBC lucky draw cases, bank accounts have been traced to Bihar,” said Cyberabad ACP (cybercrime), Srinivas Kumar.