Hackers using Paytm KYC updates to cheat people

Hyderabad: On January 23, I.V. Ravi Shankara, a resident of Kukatpally, received a message from mobile number 8308969378 asking him to update his KYC details. He called the number and was told he had to update his Paytm KYC and asked him for his Paytm details. They told him he had to download the Any Desk app to update his account and was asked to transfer a nominal amount of Rs. 100. However, the transaction failed. Later, Mr Shankara received messages stating his account had been debited with Rs. 62,542. The unknown caller had hacked his Paytm account and made fraudulent transactions. Since then the hacker’s mobile was switched off and Mr Shankara realized he had been duped.

In the past few days, Cyberabad's Cyber Crime police station has been receiving complaints from people whose bank accounts have been hacked through Paytm updates. Hackers are asking Paytm users to update their KYC details by downloading various applications like Any Desk, Quick Support, and Team Viewer app. When the customer downloads the application, the hackers ask users to transfer a nominal amount of Re 1 or Rs 100. When the customer transfers the money by entering his bank details, his accounts are hacked and money stolen from his accounts.

In another incident, Fakruddin Mohammad from Ramachandrapuram received a call from mobile number 8016499058 claiming to be from Paytm. He was asked to update his KYC details by downloading the Quick Support app on his mobile and enter the relevant information. The caller also asked him to transfer Re 1 through Paytm. Once he entered his bank details in the app, he received messages stating Rs 16,000 had been withdrawn from one of his accounts and Rs 56,399 from another account. He lost a total of Rs 78,399 from two accounts.

In view of the above complaints, Cyberabad police have issued an advisory to citizens requesting them not to believe in messages or calls asking them to update KYC details of their Paytm accounts or any other accounts. Police have instructed people not to reveal their account details to anyone or download any application without knowing its purpose and authenticity. Bank accounts could be hacked through these applications. They have also instructed people to not transfer money to the unknown accounts.