Golden-Hour Reporting Helps Hyderabad Cyber Cops Recover Stolen Amounts

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad cybercrime police have resolved two APK-based cyber fraud cases, where golden-hour reporting enabled officers to block transactions and recover the defrauded amounts.

According to police, on December 5, a 26-year-old software engineer from Yousufguda received a fake WhatsApp message demanding a Rs 1,000 traffic fine with a link to download an APK file titled after the government’s transport department.” He was redirected to a site which auto-installed malware that accessed bank OTPs and enabled unauthorised credit card transactions totalling Rs 5,23,125.

"The victim immediately contacted 1930 and filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. A case was registered, and notices were issued to the bank and an online payments processing firm to stop and reverse transactions. Thanks to the swift coordination of police constable B. Priyanka, the entire Rs 5,23,125 was recovered," the official said.

On November 10, a 53-year-old resident of Amberpet received an APK claiming credit card updates. After installation, the malware captured OTPs, causing fraudulent transactions of Rs 1,25,822, with more pending. The victim approached the cybercrime PS, where police assisted him through the NCRP portal. The malicious app was removed, and investigation found the fraud routed through an online store and a mobile wallet for digital gift cards. The orders were cancelled, and Rs 1,00,000 was refunded to the victim.

The officials stated that the technical findings revealed that the APK had permissions to read SMS/OTPs, allowing fraudsters to access Flipkart and initiate card-based purchases. They also attempted to hijack the victim’s WhatsApp account to impersonate him and spread the malicious APK further.