An Ahmedabad-based interior designer lost ₹7.7 lakh after cyber fraudsters allegedly impersonated gas company officials and tricked him into installing a malicious APK file.
The 58-year-old Paldi resident told cybercrime police that he received a WhatsApp message on September 29 warning that his gas connection would be disconnected because his latest bill had not been updated.
After he contacted the number provided, the fraudsters allegedly asked him to download an APK file bearing the gas company’s name and enter his debit card details to complete the supposed bill update.
Although the transaction appeared to fail, the victim soon began receiving multiple OTPs, debit alerts and messages showing withdrawals from his account.
He immediately contacted his bank and initiated the process of blocking his accounts. Police said ₹7.7 lakh was transferred through multiple transactions, including ₹5 lakh, ₹2 lakh, ₹48,985 and ₹25,000.
Cybercrime officials are investigating the case.
