Retired bank staffer in Barkatpura duped of Rs 12.99 lakh in cyber fraud

Hyderabad: A retired bank employee from Barkatpura was duped of Rs 12.99 lakh by cyber scammers who tricked him into downloading a malicious mobile application under the guise of completing a ‘life certificate’ submission process for the elderly.

The incident, which occurred on October 4, has prompted police to issue fresh warnings against fake links circulated on social media.

Fake Facebook link leads to fraud

According to police, the victim came across a Facebook post claiming to facilitate online submission of life certificates for pensioners of nationalised banks. Believing it to be genuine, he clicked on the link and entered his bank account details.

Soon after, he received a call from a person identifying himself as a bank representative, who also contacted him on WhatsApp using a display picture carrying the bank’s logo.

Malicious app used to steal funds

The fraudster sent an APK file to the victim, asking him to install it to ‘complete’ the life certificate process. Trusting the sender, the retired employee installed the file on his phone.

Later that evening, around 5:30 pm, he noticed several debit alerts and discovered that Rs 12.99 lakh had been siphoned off from his three savings accounts held in different banks.

Police caution public on cyber traps

Police officials have urged citizens to remain vigilant and avoid clicking on links received via Facebook, WhatsApp, SMS or email, even if they appear to be from banks or government departments.

They also cautioned against installing mobile applications shared through unofficial channels, especially APK files, and advised users to download banking apps only from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Banks never ask for OTP or account details

Authorities reiterated that legitimate banks never seek personal or banking details such as account numbers, card information, PINs or OTPs through phone calls or social media.

Citizens were advised to:

- Avoid sharing confidential information with anyone claiming to be a bank official.

- Report suspicious calls, links, or apps immediately to their bank and cybercrime police.

- Uninstall unknown applications and run antivirus scans on mobile devices.

- Ignore threats or claims of legal action from unknown numbers — these are common scam tactics.

How to report cyber fraud