Mobile Banking Hack Through Stolen Phone: Rs 1.5 Lakh Taken From Businessman During ‘Reconditioned Bike’ Deal
मंसिर ७, २०८२ १०:३
Kathmandu: Last Thursday seemed like an ordinary day for Rameshwar Sharma (name changed), who runs a reconditioning shop in Jadibuti. Customers looking for second-hand bikes was nothing new. Around the same time, a man who identified himself as Milan Shrestha (name changed) arrived at the shop to buy a bike. Rameshwar showed him the available options. Milan chose an Apache 160 that had run 24,000 kilometers.
Rameshwar said the price was Rs 1.5 lakh. Milan inspected the bike and agreed to buy it without bargaining. Most customers try to negotiate, so when Milan did not reduce the price, Rameshwar felt something was unusual. But he also felt relieved. Milan immediately asked for the QR code and transferred the money.
Milan, who appeared knowledgeable about bikes, paid the amount and told Rameshwar, “I need to test the bike. I already paid, so how long is the check time? If I feel something off while riding, I may need to pick another one.”
Rameshwar agreed. He prepared a written agreement and asked Milan to sign and place his thumbprint.
After the test period ended, everything seemed fine. Milan took the bike, agreeing to complete the transfer. Two days later, he returned with the bike for reconditioning and left after a brief conversation. But on the fourth day, he returned again, this time claiming the bike had issues. He asked to return the bike and get his money back.
Since the agreement included a check time, Rameshwar followed the procedure. A document was prepared confirming that the bike was returned and the money refunded. Rameshwar returned Rs 1.5 lakh in cash instead of sending it online. He told TechPana, “The money was already in my online account. But I had cash with me, so why go to the bank? That was my mistake.”
After receiving the Rs 1.5 lakh cash, Milan left.
The next day, another customer came to buy a bike and tried to transfer money. But the payment did not go through. After repeated attempts, the customer asked Rameshwar to check his account.
When Rameshwar checked, he felt as if the ground had slipped beneath him. His bank account had been blocked. He called the bank immediately. The bank told him, “Your account has been blocked after a request from the police. Please contact the District Police Complex, Kathmandu.”
Rameshwar had been running his business for years without such an incident. At the police office, he learned that the Rs 1.5 lakh Milan had sent through QR was transferred from a stolen mobile phone.
According to the investigation officer, a woman’s inexpensive mobile phone had been stolen from her home in Kathmandu a few days earlier. She did not worry much because it was a basic phone. The police said, “The phone was stolen. Since it was a normal phone, she didn’t try to track it.” But when she later went to the telecom office to deactivate the SIM and started receiving bank messages showing money being withdrawn, she was shocked.
She checked with her bank and found that more than Rs 300,000 had been transferred through mobile banking. Based on her complaint, police tried to block the account where the money had gone, and this led them to Rameshwar’s account.
According to investigators, the thief removed the stolen SIM card and inserted it into a smartphone. He then downloaded banking apps and entered the phone number. Once the password reset process began, he selected “forgot password,” received an OTP, created a new password, and gained full access to the account.
The thief took advantage of the owner’s carelessness. Police said, “Rs 3 lakh was spent in two days. The largest amount was used to buy the bike. Then he tricked the reconditioner and took cash. The rest was spent in shops and withdrawn in cash.”
Rameshwar knows nothing about the fraudster beyond his name (Milan Shrestha) and mobile number. He usually keeps a copy of a buyer’s citizenship or license, but that day he did not. The investigating officer said, “We do not know who he is. No documents were provided. Only signatures and fingerprints exist, which are not enough. But it doesn’t mean he cannot be traced. We are investigating.” Police hope to track him through his mobile number and the phone he used.
This incident has exposed a new form of fraud in digital payments and the second-hand market. Police have advised people to stay alert if someone deposits money through mobile banking and then asks for cash. Investigators warned that online fraud, mobile theft, and SIM duplication are increasing, giving criminals access to banking systems and enabling them to convert stolen funds into cash.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: मंसिर ७, २०८२ १०:३
