In recent news, the 1920 actor, Aftab Shivdasani, has fallen prey to a case of cyber scam, a KYC fraud. The Bollywood actor, known for his roles in movies like Masti, Kya Kool Hai Hum, Hungama, and more, faced a significant loss of Rs.1.5 lakhs due to an online KYC scam.
Aftab Shivdasani’s unfortunate encounter with KYC fraud began when he received a text message containing a link, purportedly for updating his Know Your Customer (KYC) details. Little did he know that this seemingly harmless text message held a malicious phishing link. As a consequence, the actor lost a substantial sum of Rs.1.50 lakhs from his bank account. This distressing incident occurred on a Sunday, as reported by PTI.
The Deceptive KYC Request
The scammers behind the fraud lured Aftab Shivdasani by warning him that failure to update his KYC details would lead to the suspension of his bank account. Concerned and unaware of the impending scam, Aftab proceeded to follow the given instructions. Tragically, he received a notification stating that Rs.1,49,999 had been debited from his account. Aftab promptly recorded these distressing details in his police complaint.
Taking Legal Action
The following day, Aftab Shivdasani took swift action to resolve this cybercrime. He contacted his branch manager and filed an official police complaint at the Bandra police station. The case registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) includes Section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
A Growing Trend of Online Scams
Aftab Shivdasani is not the only celebrity who has fallen victim to cyber scams. Previously, Ayesha Shroff, wife of Jackie Shroff, was duped of Rs.58 lakhs and had to file a police complaint. In 2022, actor Annu Kapoor lost Rs.4.36 lakhs to a similar scam. In 2016, actress Nargis Fakhri became a victim of online credit card fraud. Actor Karan Singh Grover also experienced an online lottery scam. It is alarming to see how cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune are emerging as hotspots for online scams, highlighting the importance of increased awareness and vigilance in the digital age.
