Townhall Times, New Delhi

Reporter: Bhavika Kalra

This wasn’t a “hacker” in the way we usually think. No OTP was shared. No suspicious calls were answered. This was a professional, paper-based heist that looks like it had help from the inside.

The “Ghost” Account in Hisar

Here’s the part that will actually keep you up at night. The scammers didn’t need Tejram’s password. Instead, they just went and opened a completely fake bank account in his name at a Gramin bank in Hisar—a city Tejram hadn’t even visited.

The Identity Hijack: They used forged Aadhaar and PAN details to walk right through the bank’s KYC process. It makes you wonder: How did the bank staff not notice that the guy standing at the counter wasn’t the veteran? Or that the signatures were a total mismatch?
The Perfect Timing: This is the smoking gun. The thieves knew exactly when the Haryana Housing Board was going to release Tejram’s ₹6.5 lakh housing refund. They had the fake account ready and waiting the very second the money was approved.

A 10-Year Wait Ends in a Heartbreak

Tejram had been chasing this refund since 2015. After ten long years of running from one government office to another, he finally went to Panchkula in early 2024 to see what was taking so long. An official looked at the computer and casually told him, “Sir, your payment was successful months ago.” Can you imagine that gut-punch? He had to fight for nearly two years just to get the police to file a formal case (under Sections 420 and 120B). By the time investigators looked at that Hisar account, the ₹6.5 lakh had been withdrawn as cold hard cash and the scammers had vanished.

The 2026 Survival Kit: How to Protect Your Parents

If you have seniors in your family, especially veterans, you can’t just trust the “system” anymore. You have to be proactive:

Lock the Biometrics: Seriously, get on the m-Aadhaar app and lock your biometrics right now. If your thumbprint is locked digitally, nobody can use your ID to open “cloned” accounts.
Monitor the AIS: Log into the Income Tax portal and check the Annual Information Statement (AIS). It shows every single bank account linked to your PAN. If there’s an extra one there, someone is living a second life in your name.
The “Manual” Verify: If you’re expecting a big payout from a government department, go there in person. Make them show you the bank account number they have on their final list. Don’t wait for the money to disappear first.

The Gurugram Economic Offences Wing is now trying to figure out who leaked the data from the Housing Board. This wasn’t just a scam; it was a decade-long wait that ended in a robbery.

The Identity Lockdown: How to Freeze Your Biometrics and Stop “Cloned” Fraud

The reason Tejram lost his money wasn’t a weak password—it was because his Aadhaar and PAN were “open.” In 2026, leaving your biometrics unlocked is like leaving your front door wide open with a sign saying “Free Money.”

1. Lock Your Aadhaar Biometrics (The #1 Defense)

This is the most important thing you will do today. When you lock your biometrics, your fingerprint or iris scan cannot be used to verify anything—including opening a new bank account.

How to do it: Download the m-Aadhaar app or go to the UIDAI portal.
The Process: Log in using your OTP, go to “My Aadhaar,” and find the “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” toggle.
The Result: If a scammer tries to open a fake account in Hisar using your name, the bank’s system will reject it because the fingerprint won’t “talk” to the server. You can unlock it in 10 seconds whenever you actually need to use it.

2. Check Your “Hidden” Bank Accounts (The AIS Audit)

Scammers often open accounts in your name that you never even see. You need to find them before they start moving money.

The Trick: Log into the Income Tax e-filing portal.
The Tool: Look for the AIS (Annual Information Statement).
What to look for: This document lists every bank account where interest is being earned under your PAN. If Tejram had checked this, he would have seen a random account in Hisar linked to his name months before the money was stolen.

3. The “Physical” Verification for Large Refunds

If you or a parent is waiting for a housing refund, a pension hike, or a land compensation check, do not trust the “process.”

The Move: Go to the department (like the Housing Board or the Zila Parishad) in person.
The Demand: Ask to see the “Beneficiary Account Detail” on their screen. Check every single digit of the IFSC code and account number.
The Red Flag: If they say “it’s being updated” or “the system is down,” don’t leave. That’s usually when the “switch” happens.

4. Reporting a “Ghost” Account

If you find an account in your name that you didn’t open:

Don’t just call the bank. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in immediately.
The Paper Trail: Take a screenshot of the AIS entry and the complaint. This is your only shield if that fake account is used for money laundering or terror funding.

The Gurugram police are still chasing the “insider” who leaked Tejram’s file, but for now, your best bet is to be your own security guard.