Is our data safe? Identity theft leaves Mulund man with no hope of getting bank loans

Yogesh Bhatia

CIBIL score

SIM cards

Yogesh Bhatia says that this is an image of one of the fraudsters who was caught on CCTV while buying a phone at a shop in Virar

Stay safe online

Aadhaar card

virtual ID

has been blacklisted from receiving loans due to lowafter fraudsters use his details to get loans, go on shopping sprees; Powai police took the complaint but no FIR lodged.Two months ago, Mulund resident Yogesh Bhatia received a letter from his bank informing him that his account had been frozen after complaints from another bank over non-payment of EMI for a twowheeler. Confused, the 38-year-old logistics professional informed his bank that he had not bought any two-wheeler recently. This led to the discovery that his identity had been stolen to avail loans through several other banks, leading to outstanding dues in his name of Rs 6.5 lakh. Due to the outstanding dues in his name, Bhatia’s CIBIL score has plummeted and he has been blacklisted from receiving any loans in the future.On checking with the other bank, it emerged that someone had submitted a forged copy of his PAN card, with a different picture and a signature to get several loans sanctioned in his name.“The day I discovered all this, I submitted a written complaint to Powai police. It was a clear case of identity theft where someone was using my credentials in a fraudulent way,” said Bhatia. However, when Bhatia approached the Powai police station on May 29, the cops accepted his written complaint but refused to file an FIR.With no help from the police, Bhatia decided to conduct his own investigation. From the transactions in his CIBIL report, he managed to gather some information about the people misusing his details. They have bought many, phones, three two wheelers and acquired many credit cards which they have used for online shopping. Bhatia and his wife’s names have even been used to make a rent agreement for a flat in Nallasopara.“The shops where one of the phones was purchased has CCTV footage from the day, in which the fraudster has been caught. The rent agreement has the picture of him and three of his accomplices. If the police starts investigating, it will take them just a few days to arrest these conmen,” says Bhatia, who suspects that the group may be using credentials of many other people fraudulently as well.When asked to comment on why the Powai police refused to file an FIR, the senior PI refused to comment on the issue. However, officials from the Powai police said that they had already sent across a circular to all the concerned banks about Bhatia’s case. They also said that they were waiting for the approval from the DCP of the area to start working on the case. When Mirror contacted DCP Navinchandra Reddy, he said he was not aware about the particulars of the case, but added, “In any case, it is a straight case of cheating that need not have been pending for my approval. The cops can start an investigation and carry on with the required procedures,” he said.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------• Never post your PAN Card anddetails on social media.• Enablefor Aadhaar Card• Never store Aadhaar and PAN No in your contact list of the phone especially if you have Truecaller App on your phone.• Always write on the photocopy of both cards what purpose it has been given for.• Avoid your palm being photographed and avoid it being scanned in palmistry related apps.• Avoid keeping scanned copy of PAN and Aadhaar Card as attachment in your email.