A doctor in Raipur, Dr Satish Rajput, lost over Rs 6 lakh after falling victim to a cyber fraud involving deceptive banking updates. The fraudsters tricked him into downloading a malicious APK file disguised as a Know Your Customer (KYC) update for IndusInd Bank, which granted them unauthorised access to his financial accounts.
Despite not sharing OTPs, the criminals siphoned off his savings and fixed deposits. The incident was reported in the Saraswati Nagar police station area and has sparked concerns over the growing sophistication of cyber scams.
The victim received a message on his phone with a link labelled ‘IndusInd KYC APK.’ Assuming it was a legitimate request to update his banking details, he clicked on the link and downloaded the file onto his mobile device.
Unbeknownst to him, the APK file contained malware, enabling cybercriminals to access his phone remotely. On February 27, while watching a movie at a mall, Dr Rajput suddenly started receiving multiple one-time password (OTP) messages.
Around 30 OTPs were generated within minutes, and he noticed that money was being withdrawn from his accounts. Despite not sharing any OTPs, the fraudsters successfully drained his funds.
According to the police complaint, the cybercriminals withdrew Rs 6 lakh from his savings account and fixed deposits. The stolen amount included Rs 1,92,000 from the savings account, Rs 2,00,000 from fixed deposits, Rs 1,80,000 from another fixed account, and Rs 28,000 from a third fixed account.
Indian citizens are losing their hard-earned money to sophisticated cyber scams. Recently, there has been a rise in digital arrest scams in the country targeting professionals such as doctors and government officials. Even scammers from countries such as Nepal are also mimicking TRAI officials to target Indian citizens.
To counter these scams, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) blocked six lakh mobile numbers and 709 applications in 2024. Last month, MHA ordered crackdown on SIM fraud to combat digital arrests.
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