Ex-US prof loses 8.5L to fake airline customer care
Times of India | 19 September 2025A resident of Gainesville in the US, Kishalay Hoare (71), a former professor at the University of Florida, is staying at his brother's place at EC Block in Salt Lake for Durga Puja. Hoare said he was scheduled to visit Kochi on Oct 31 but the flight was cancelled. "The fare was refunded to the online travel portal's wallet from where I had booked the ticket. I needed the money —Rs 11,000—in my account. So I searched online for a customer care executive's number. I called on the number, which was registered as that of the airline customer care on the search engine, on Tuesday," said Hoare, who has been living in the US since 1989.
According to Hoare, the man who answered his call, spoke in Hindi instead of English, which did raise some doubts. But the way the man apparently spoke with "confidence" about the steps to be taken, Hoare reportedly ended up sharing his banking and KYC details and an OTP, with him.
Within hours, Rs 8.5 lakh was withdrawn from his Indian bank account in multiple transactions. "I am shattered. Now I am too scared to speak to any stranger over the phone," he said, adding he hoped police would be able to arrest the accused before he left for the US in Nov.
Bidhannagar North PS officers said the phone number was being verified and efforts were on to track the digital footprint of the accused. "Fraudsters often set up websites or upload fake helpline numbers, that appear legitimate, on search engines, trapping people who do not cross-check," said a senior Bidhannagar City Police officer.
