‘Lucky winner’ flags new phishing modus

Though the lucky winner was happy, he became suspicious once the caller asked him to transfer Rs 12,800 — one per cent of car’s price — as handling charges and approached Semmenchery police.

The 38-year-old resident of Gandhi Nagar had purchased the bedsheet last month. The caller reportedly quoted his purchase details to possibly lure him into phishing trap.

The caller had identified himself as Sujith, assistant manager of a firm and told him he was selected for the bumper prize. The complainant also received a picture of a car on WhatsApp along with the image of the caller’s identity card.

Later, he got another call asking him to deposit Rs 12,800 in an account as handling charges to start the process. He was also told that he can receive the car or its worth in cash.

When Semmenchery police called the number, the man on the other side snapped the call and the phone remained switched off from then, police said.