Srinagar, Feb 10: Next time you receive a call on your mobile phone informing you about winning a prize, beware, it can be a trap!
 A mafia has found a novel way to cheat gullible mobile users by assuring prizes and making them pay a huge amount on different pretexts.
 Bashir Ahmad of Rangpora, Illahi Bagh, a victim of such nexus, said: “On January 29, I received a call from a mobile number +918658592005. A girl pretending to be speaking on behalf of a private cellular company informed me on phone that I have won a motorbike worth Rs 52,000 in a lucky draw contest and the prize would be delivered to me soon after I fulfil certain requirement.”
 “About the requirements, I was told that I would receive another call soon and asked not to disclose it to anyone,” he said.
 Bashir said, “Hours later I received another call asking me to deposit Rs 12,000 in account number 4992001500007782 in Punjab National Bank. I deposited the amount into the said account without any delay.”
 “I got suspicious when I received another call asking me to deposit Rs 5,250 in the same account,” Bashir said, adding “I contacted customer care (Airtel) where I was informed that I might have lost the money to a thug.”
 “On enquiring, it came out that the account holder was a girl Sabana Anjum of Sitapur Bihar,” he said. 
 When contacted, a senior PNB official told Greater Kashmir “All the customers are same for the bank and once proved in the court of law that a person has cheated anyone using our account, the bank will immediately close his or her account.”
 The phone number used by the girl to lure Ahmad was many times contacted by Greater Kashmir but every time it was switched off.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 IST