Bengaluru, October 4: A family in Bengaluru has been cheated of Rs 22 lakh by cyber fraudsters who masqueraded as senior officials of the Karnataka Pre-University Education Board and promised to help her daughter get higher marks in the second-year PUC examination. They even told her they could manipulate her marks during the evaluation process and help her to get a medical seat through NEET.
According to the complaint, the fraudsters approached the family and introduced themselves as senior officials in the pre-university education system. They told the parents that their daughter was likely to receive low marks in some important subjects and claimed that they had the ability to intervene during the answer-sheet evaluation process.
The accused reportedly used the student’s aspirations for higher education to convince the family that paying money could improve her examination results. They allegedly told the parents that higher marks in the second PUC examination would improve their daughter’s chances of securing a medical seat through NEET and getting admission to a reputed medical college.
In trusting the claims, the family transferred money in multiple instalments to different bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. The total amount transferred during the alleged fraud reportedly reached ₹22 lakh.
The deception came to light only after the examination results were announced. When the family examined the daughter's marks, they found that there had been no such increase as promised by the callers. Realising they were being lied to, the family approached the cyber crime police and filed a complaint.
Police have registered a case and begun an investigation into the alleged fraud. Bank accounts to which the cash was transferred have been studied and so have the phone numbers and communication channels used by the suspects, the newspaper added. The financial trail could turn out to be important in investigating who did this and whether the same group targeted other students or families.
The case shows how cybercriminals increasingly exploit students’ academic ambitions and parents’ fears of competitive examinations. Second PUC results and entrance exams like NEET also put families at risk of being perceived by people who claim control over the examination authorities or admissions processes.
The alleged fraud also serves to underscore the need to verify the identity of any person claiming to represent an educational board or government authority. Genuine examination authorities do not ask students or parents to pay private individuals money in exchange for illegally increasing marks. Claims that answer sheets can be manipulated or marks can be altered in exchange for money should be taken as warning signs immediately.
Parents and students should be careful when receiving unsolicited calls regarding examination results, marks, or college admissions, cybercrime investigators said. Any suspicious request for money should be checked with the educational institution or official department before payment is made.
Parents should also not share examination details, personal information, bank account information, OTPs, or other sensitive financial details with unknown callers. If someone claims to be a government or education department official, the identity should be verified through official channels instead of relying on a phone number or documents provided during a call.
The Bengaluru case should serve as a warning for families about competitive exams and college admissions. A promise of higher marks, admission assistance, or special access through an official connection can be a tactic used by fraudsters to create urgency and pressure victims into transferring money.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are trying to find out about the financial and digital evidence being provided to track the alleged criminals. Further details, including whether other families have been targeted in a similar way, will be revealed as well.
