THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A retired official from Coal India, hailing from Kozhikode fell victim to an online scam. Rs 40,000 was fraudulently taken from him through a fake video call facilitated by artificial intelligence. This incident marks the first of its kind in the district.

The retired official received a video call from someone pretending to be his friend, who turned out to be the scammer utilizing AI to disguise their identity. Falling victim to the ruse, the retired official unknowingly transferred the money to an account held at Ratnakar Bank in Maharashtra.

The police successfully traced and recovered the entire stolen amount. Ratnakar Bank promptly responded to the incident by blocking the account involved in the scam and the process of reclaiming the money has begun.

Kerala Police have advised the public to report any suspicious online financial fraud including fake calls to the dedicated Kerala Cyber Helpline at 1930. This helpline operates 24 hours a day.