Vacoas Retiree, 75, Loses Rs 1.76 Million in WhatsApp Bank Scam

A 75-year-old retiree from Bonne-Terre, Vacoas, has lost nearly Rs 1.76 million — roughly USD 38,000 — in an electronic fraud scheme after being tricked by a caller impersonating a bank employee. The woman filed a police complaint on Wednesday, 16 September, describing how the scam unfolded two days earlier. **The call that started it all** At 4:26 p.m. on Monday, 14 September, she received a WhatsApp call from a foreign number. The caller identified himself as an employee of the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), one of the country's largest and most trusted financial institutions. The fraudster told her that suspicious activity had been detected on her account and that she needed to act immediately. Believing she was speaking to a legitimate bank representative, the elderly woman provided her confidential banking codes. Shortly afterwards, she began receiving notifications of unauthorised transactions. When she checked her account, she discovered multiple suspicious operations had been carried out — and her savings were gone. The police were alerted and an investigation is currently underway to identify and trace those responsible. **What this means — and why it matters** This case is a textbook example of what security experts call "vishing" (voice phishing) — a scam where fraudsters call victims while posing as trusted institutions such as banks, telecom companies, or government agencies. The use of WhatsApp, which can mask the origin of a call and display foreign numbers, makes these scams harder to trace. Several factors made this victim particularly vulnerable: - **Urgency:** The caller created a false sense of emergency ("fraud detected on your account"). - **Authority:** Impersonating a major, well-known bank like MCB lends credibility. - **Unfamiliarity:** Many elderly users may not be aware that banks never ask for confidential codes or PINs over the phone. **What banks actually do — and don't do** MCB and other reputable banks in Mauritius will never ask customers for their PIN, one-time passwords (OTPs), or full card numbers during an unsolicited phone or WhatsApp call. If you receive such a call, hang up and contact your bank directly using the official number on the back of your card or on their website. **Who is most at risk?** Elderly residents, in particular, are frequently targeted by these schemes. If you have an older family member who banks digitally, it is worth having a direct conversation about these tactics. Scammers rely on urgency and impersonation — awareness is the most effective defence. Anyone who believes they have been targeted by a similar scam should report it immediately to the nearest police station and contact their bank's fraud hotline without delay. Source: ION News