A woman lost ₹40 lakh after a call in November 2024 from someone claiming to be from the telecom regulator, who said her number was being blocked. She was put through to a supposed Mumbai police officer, who said her Aadhaar had been used to open a bank account with ₹6 crore of illegal transactions, and threatened to arrest her.

Police later arrested three men who had passed a "mule" bank account along a chain to move the stolen money. ₹2.4 lakh was traced to that account.

The lesson: a call that says your Aadhaar is linked to a crime, followed by a demand for money, is always a scam. Selling or lending your bank account to others also makes you part of the crime.