Burger King Employee At Noida’s GIP Mall Clones 500 Customers’ ATM Cards, Steals ₹50 Lakh

A lot of us don’t carry around cash anymore. We use payment apps or simply swipe our debit/credit cards. It’s quick and convenient (partly because there’s no need to count money or wait for the change). But it’s also fraught with risks. If we’re not alert, we leave ourselves open to OTP theft and ATM card cloning.

Noida Sector-39 police officials have uncovered such a case at a popular fast food joint.

Since December 2018, Sumit (a sales manager at Burger King located in Great India Place Mall, Noida) has been cloning cards of customers who pay at the restaurant. Over a period of 3 months, he has successfully retrieved card details of 500 victims. A Times of India report reveals that he managed to steal money to the tune of INR 50 lakh along with his accomplice Rahul.

How exactly was the fraud accomplished? The modus operandi explained.

Sumit installed a device called a ‘skimmer’ to the card slot of the restaurant’s ATM machine. This device extracted data stored on the card. In addition, he used CCTV cameras placed at strategic points to capture pin numbers. He sold this information to Rahul for INR 10,000-15,000. The duo made clones of the cards and withdrew money from ATMs in other states/countries. Sumit was arrested by the police on Monday but the whereabouts of Rahul are still unknown.

What can I do if this happens to me?

• Contact the bank and have your card blocked to prevent further loss.
• Report the transaction to the bank within 3 days. If it’s a scam that’s not the result of the victim’s negligence, the bank is liable to give a full refund.
• Lodge an FIR with your nearest police station.

A little vigilance and prompt action go a long way in such cases.