Lucknow: Got a traffic challan on WhatsApp asking you to open an APK? Think twice before clicking. Alongside the ‘Green Gas’ APK scam, cyber fraudsters in Lucknow are now using a fake traffic challan as bait.
An Aliganj resident recently lost Rs 2 lakh after opening an APK sent by an unknown number, which allegedly compromised his phone. The latest victim, Uttam of Chaudhary Tola in Aliganj, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on Sept 6 claiming that a traffic challan had been issued in his name. The first sign of trouble came the next day when a small transaction of Rs 2 was made through one of his credit cards, a tactic that cybercriminals often use to test whether banking credentials are active. On Sept 10, Uttam’s phone suddenly switched off and could not be restarted despite repeated attempts. The phone got switched on the following day, and by then nearly Rs 2 lakh was siphoned from his account.
The message may look official and create panic by claiming that a challan has been issued in your name. That urgency is the trap. At least half a dozen complaints surfaced in recent weeks. The message asked him to open an attached APK file to verify the notice. Believing it to be a genuine notification, Uttam opened the file. The malicious application compromised the victim’s phone. Uttam initially ignored the small deduction. However, investigators suspect the fraudsters retained access to his device for several days, monitoring activity and harvesting sensitive information.
Officials have urged residents to immediately report suspicious activity or cyber fraud on the national helpline 1930. Man loses ₹4.31L to gas bill payment ruse Hariprasad Yadav, a resident of Sarojini Nagar, was duped of Rs 4.31 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as Green Gas officials and threatened to disconnect his connection over an unpaid bill. Yadav received a message on Sept 21 claiming his Green Gas bill was pending and warning that his gas supply would be cut off if the dues were not cleared. He was first instructed to pay ₹13, but the transaction reportedly failed. Soon after, four unauthorised transactions of Rs 1.99 lakh, Rs 1.34 lakh, Rs 68,823 and Rs 30,125 were carried out from his account.
The caller introduced himself as Sandeep Mishra and discussed the purported bill payment. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news.
Cyber officials said that fraud works by exploiting a common fear among motorists. ADCP (crime) Kiran Yadav said cybercriminals were changing tactics and relying on convincing, official-looking messages to trap victims. The message is designed to create panic and urgency, prompting recipients to open an attachment without verifying its authenticity. Once installed, the APK can potentially give criminals access to personal data, banking details, passwords and other sensitive information stored on the device. Investigators say the modus operandi mirrors the ‘Green Gas’ APK scam, in which fraudsters circulated malware-laden files through WhatsApp under the pretext of gas meter updates. Crime Branch, under its Operation Digital Kavach awareness campaign, has advised people to never install APK files received through WhatsApp, SMS or social media. The message carried a contact number, which he called. Later, another caller allegedly asked Yadav to make the payment through his debit card. Yadav realised he had been cheated after checking his bank account and immediately informed the bank, which blocked the account. Download the TOI App.