Lucknow: An elderly resident of Aashiana’s Sector-K lost ₹36.39 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as bank officials tricked him into installing an Android Package Kit file on his mobile phone under the pretext of issuing a pension card, police said.According to the complaint, Umesh Chandra received a WhatsApp call on Sept 30 from a person claiming to be an employee of ICICI Bank and told him he could get a pension card. The caller sent an APK file to his mobile phone.The fraudster persuaded Chandra to open the file, and as he did, a debit-card-related puzzle or interface appeared on the screen. The caller allegedly instructed him to click on an image displayed on the screen.As soon as Chandra followed the instructions and clicked on the image, his mobile phone was compromised. The caller disconnected immediately after the phone was hacked.Within a few hours, money was withdrawn from three separate bank accounts owned by the victim. A total of ₹36.39 lakh was siphoned off through fraudulent transactions.Chandra reportedly realised he had been duped only after receiving transaction alerts from his banks.The incident is the latest in a series of APK-based cyber frauds reported in Lucknow, in which criminals allegedly send malicious Android application files to victims through WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. Once installed or opened, such files can potentially give fraudsters unauthorised access to a device or sensitive information, depending on the permissions and malicious code involved.The incident is the latest in a series of APK-based cyber frauds reported in Lucknow, in which criminals allegedly send malicious Android application files to victims through WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. Once installed or opened, such files can potentially give fraudsters unauthorised access to a device or sensitive information, depending on the permissions and malicious code involved.
