A senior cyber crime official urged citizens not to download apps from unofficial sources and stressed the importance of verifying links before clicking
Hyderabad: A 50-year-old businessman from Jillelaguda lost over Rs.12 lakh to unauthorised bank transactions in what officials are calling a growing trend in cyberfraud. The victim, a resident of Gayathrinagar, discovered unauthorised withdrawals totalling Rs.12.12 lakh from his bank account in the first week of April. He filed a complaint with the police, stating that he had not shared his OTP or confidential banking details with anyone and yet his account was drained.
According to his complaint, the bank alerted him via text message about the series of transactions. Upon checking his mobile phone, he noticed a suspicious application, disguised as an APK file named ‘PM Kisan Yojana’, had been downloaded without his knowledge. It is suspected that the malicious app gave unauthorised access to his banking credentials to the scamsters.
A senior cyber crime official said, “Fraudsters are increasingly using deceptive APK files disguised as government scheme apps to lure unsuspecting users. Once installed, these apps can bypass security systems, collect sensitive information and perform transactions without the user’s intervention.”
He urged citizens not to download apps from unofficial sources and stressed the importance of verifying links before clicking. “Even government schemes should only be accessed through official portals or apps available on verified platforms like the Google Play Store or App Store,” the official added.
