A 67-year-old retired employee of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand, Ahmedabad, fell victim to a cyber fraud scheme, losing Rs 11.6 lakh. Police reported that the fraudsters accessed his mobile phone through a malicious application package (APK) file. This incident highlights the growing threat of cybercrime targeting individuals, particularly the elderly, who may be less aware of digital security risks.
The victim, a resident of Krishnanagar, received a call from an unidentified number on July 20 around 2.30pm, according to the complaint registered with cybercrime police on Thursday. He lodged a complaint through the cybercrime helpline 1930, following which an FIR was registered. The caller allegedly claimed to be speaking from Bank of India and confirmed details of the victim’s bank account and mobile number.
The victim told the caller that the account was his pension account. The victim told police that his phone contained a file named “BOI.apk”, which he suspected was used to gain unauthorised access to his device and bank account.
Around 3.30am, the victim woke up after receiving multiple messages containing OTPs for transactions from his bank account. On checking his banking application, he found that around 12 unauthorised transactions had been carried out, amounting to Rs 11.6 lakh.