Hyderabad: Constable’s swift action saves pensioner Rs 5 L in digital scam

Hyderabad: A pensioner narrowly avoided losing his entire life savings after falling victim to an online financial scam, thanks to the swift action of Hyderabad city police constable N. Srikanth Naik.

The fraudsters had already siphoned off Rs.10 lakh from his account, but timely intervention helped block Rs.5 lakh, now being refunded to the victim.

Fraudsters masquerade as bank officials

The pensioner, while searching online for his bank’s official contact to submit his life certificate, unknowingly dialed a number listed by cyber criminals.

Posing as bank officials, the scammers instructed him to install a malicious .APK application via WhatsApp, claiming it was required for verification. Trusting the callers, the victim installed the app, which gave the fraudsters remote access to his mobile phone.

Malware enables unauthorized transactions

Soon after, the victim began receiving multiple banking alerts and OTP messages. The malware forwarded these OTPs to the fraudsters, who used them to make unauthorized withdrawals, resulting in a loss of Rs.10 lakh. The fraudsters also attempted to hijack his WhatsApp account to propagate the scam further.

Police and payment gateway intervene

The pensioner approached the cyber crime police station, where Constable N. Srikanth Naik guided him through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

The malicious app was removed, and investigations revealed the fraudulent transactions were routed through a payment gateway. Acting swiftly, the gateway’s nodal officer, Harshavardhan Rao, blocked Rs.5 lakh, now being processed for refund.

Technical Analysis highlights sophistication of scam

Investigators found that the APK could read SMS messages and OTPs, allowing fraudsters to bypass banking alerts. The attempt to hijack WhatsApp accounts underscores the growing sophistication of cybercrime, particularly targeting senior citizens.