One Sameer Bhardwaj from Delhi received a call from someone who posed as a bank employee and offered to raise the credit card limit.
When Sameer accepted the offer, he was sent a link which looked exactly like the bank’s official portal. He was asked to enter his credit card details on this fake website which he believed to be genuine. Soon after, he received a message which said that his card was used for a transaction worth ₹1,00,208. It is at this stage he realised that he had been duped.
The caller was part of a gang which used to run this racket. It came to light when police recovered five mobile phones and six SIM cards which were used in committing of crime.
Although it is a one-off case but there are several victims of such online frauds who fall prey to fake callers. One home ministry estimate revealed that Indians lost around ₹7,000 crore to online scams in the first five months of 2025,
These are some of the money lessons one can learn from this episode.
Credit card fraud: Money lessons to learn
1. Official communication: Typically, official communication from your bank would come to your email ID registered with the bank. Additionally, you can cross-verify the sender’s email ID, which must be an official one. Even if you receive a phone call, you should ask the caller to send communication through the official email ID on your mail and not on SMS or WhatsApp.
2. Too good to be true: Generally, fraudsters make ridiculous offers which are too good to be true. For instance, someone with ₹5 lakh is told to raise his limit to ₹15 lakh. When you receive such an offer, it should set the alarm bells ringing.
3. Tone and language: Generally, communication sent by fraudsters is riddled with mistakes and reeks of an unprofessional attitude. These are some of the red flags which should warn you. Someone who can not pronounce your or your bank’s name properly could be an imposter.
4. Check URL: Another important point worth remembering is to check the URL of links that are sent to you. In the above case, the victim was sent a web link which looked very similar to the bank’s official website. But no matter how much they copy the design, they can’t use the same URL. So, you must check the URL before jumping the gun.
Disclaimer: Mint has a tie-up with fintechs for providing credit, you will need to share your information if you apply. These tie-ups do not influence our editorial content. This article only intends to educate and spread awareness about credit needs like loans, credit cards and credit score. Mint does not promote or encourage taking credit as it comes with a set of risks such as high interest rates, hidden charges, etc. We advise investors to discuss with certified experts before taking any credit.
