The Times of India said that on January 19, the victim got a WhatsApp message from the number 8318732950 accusing him of breaking traffic laws. Along with a receipt that said, "Your vehicle traffic ticket bearing no KA46894230933070073," the message advised him to use a link in the message to download the "Vahan Parivahan" app to pay the fee.
Krishnan downloaded the file despite being warned that it was dangerous. He soon started getting several OTP texts, which was a sign that his phone had been hijacked. Later, he discovered that his credit card had been used to make ₹70,000 in unauthorized purchases to an online store.
Additionally, because several of his wife’s apps were connected to Krishnan's mobile phone, his wife also began to receive notifications regarding attempted transactions from her bank account. Luckily, the fraudsters couldn't take any money out of her account.
Action Taken
The Victim formally filed a complaint with the police on January 29. A senior police officer attested to the fact that a case had been filed under Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The public was also cautioned by the police not to download APK files from unidentified sources.
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