Nallasopara man loses Rs 2.4 lakh while trying to recharge FASTag account

FASTag is now mandatory for all cars in India from February 16, 2021. This rule applies to both personal and commercial four-wheeler vehicles, ensuring that they have a FASTag for automated toll payments.

This convenient system eliminates the need for drivers to pay tolls in cash, which often leads to long wait times at toll plazas.

To use FASTag, users must either recharge their account or have toll payments deducted at the plazas.

A 47-year-old man from Nallasopara recently fell victim to a cyber scam while trying to recharge his FASTag account, as reported by India Today.

He lost Rs 2.4 lakh to the fraudsters in his recharge attempt.

This case highlights the importance of being vigilant when seeking customer support for digital services.

The incident occurred on July 17 when the user was desperate to recharge his FASTag for seamless toll payments.

In his attempt to find a solution, he turned to Google and searched for the 'FASTag Customer Care' contact number, as per the report.

The victim found a contact number, dialed it and unwittingly connected with a cyber scammer. The fraudster posed as a legitimate customer support representative and assured the victim that help was on the way.

The scammer then instructed the victim to download a remote access application on his smartphone.

Trusting the scammer as a genuine customer support executive, the victim followed the instructions and downloaded the application.

Later, Rs 2.4 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from the victim's bank account through six online transactions, as reported by India Today.

On realising that he had been a victim of fraud, the man wasted no time and reported the incident to the local police.

The police took swift action and registered a case against the cybercriminals involved under Section 420, the report added.