The constable fell victim to a scam after scanning a compromised QR code and downloading a deceptive APK file.
Scammers stole money from multiple accounts, including salary and gold loan accounts.
Police investigation revealed the malware used to capture sensitive information and bypass security measures.
A Pune police constable lost more than Rs 2.3 lakh after falling victim to a QR-code scam. Saswad resident was attempting to make a simple payment for a few items he had purchased from a local bakery. However, what began as a normal transaction turned into a nightmare when unauthorised transactions emptied his bank accounts, including his gold loans account.
The constable discovered more about the fraud when he noticed an unauthorised debit of Rs 18,755 from his bank account. After further investigation, he discovered that Rs 12,250 had been withdrawn from his salary account. This was not all; he later discovered that an unauthorised transaction of Rs 1.9 lakh from his gold loan account occurred. Interestingly, he received the OTPs for the transaction but never shared them, and the transaction was completed successfully.
Following that, the scammers attempted to make additional unauthorized transactions totaling Rs 14,000 using the constable’s credit card. However, the constable acted quickly by freezing his bank accounts and credit card, preventing further financial damage.
Following police investigations, it was discovered that the fraudsters had gained access to the constable’s bank accounts and mobile phones after he downloaded an APK file by clicking a deceptive link sent by the scammers. The malware delivered via this link captured sensitive information such as login credentials and OTPs, allowing scammers to bypass all security measures to carry out fraudulent transactions.
It is still unknown whether the constable’s QR code was tampered with or if the scam was carried out using another method. This isn’t the first time a user has been defrauded of a large sum. Previously, many such scams were identified after users unknowingly downloaded APK applications.
Online scams: Tips to be safe
It is advised that the users always verify QR codes before scanning and making the payments.
Double-check the name of the user after scanning the QR codes for payments.
Do not click on suspicious links received via messages, emails, or social media.
Download payment applications from credible sources like Google Play Store or App Store.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. Previously, he worked as a Senior Sub-Editor with Jagran English from 2022, and has been a journalist since 2020, with experience at Times Internet. Ashish specializes in Technology. In his free time, you can find him exploring new gadgets, gaming, and discovering new places. View Full Profile
