File photo of actor Shantanu Maheshwari
Actor Shantanu Maheshwari, known for his work in Bollywood movies and TV shows, has lost Rs 5 lakh to online fraud. The Gangubai Kathiawadi star has shared an Instagram Stories upload claiming that a card had been generated in his name without his knowledge. Soon, the actor realised that he had been defrauded of Rs 5 lakh while trying to pay a bill at a restaurant.
"It was around Rs 5 lakh transaction that the fraudster did from my credit card. The whole process was very tiring and exhausting. Whenever such fraud happens, you don't know what to do. I kept calling customer service but they put me on hold always. In cyber cell also, the process is long, you have to give a lot of info. They wanted my transaction ID which I didn't have obviously. So I kept trying the customer care people but they hung up on me twice. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes,” Mr Maheshwari said, speaking of the ordeal to Zoom TV.
“Even if you go to the office, there's a long process and waiting before you can meet the person who can help you. It was very tiring.”
Offering more details, Mr Maheshwari said: “My address and phone number were removed from my card. On top of that, another card was generated on my bank account without my knowledge. I didn't receive any intimation when the new card was made or even when the transactions were happening or when my phone number was changed.”
He explained that he became aware of the irregularity when he was attempting to pay a bill at a restaurant. “I was at a restaurant where I was trying to pay the bill. I gave my card and it said that I had exceeded my limit. It generally never happens with me so I suspected something. I immediately checked and found something wrong with my account. Then, I realised that someone else was spending the money from my credit card. They had exceeded the limit.”
In his initial post on Instagram, Shantanu Maheshwari tagged Axis Bank and said: “Unbelievable! My Axis bank account was hit by fraud - a card generated without my knowledge, no OTP received, and my registered email and phone no. changed without any verification! Would really appreciate taking swift action to restore security and resolve this unsettling situation.”
Shantanu Maheshwari rose to fame with his work in shows such as Khatron Ke Khiladi 8, Boogie Woogie, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9, and Nach Baliye 9.