Policeman duped of Rs230,000 in online scam

Online scams are increasingly posing a significant threat. Nearly every day, reports emerge of individuals succumbing to the deceitful tactics employed by fraudsters.

A police constable in India fell victim to a QR-code scam, resulting in a loss exceeding Rs 2.3 lacs Indian Rupees (INR).

The Saswad resident attempted to make a routine payment for items purchased at a local bakery when the situation escalated into a distressing ordeal. Unauthorized transactions subsequently drained his bank accounts, including his gold loan account.

The constable first became aware of the fraud when he noticed an unauthorized debit of INR 18,755 from his bank account. Upon further examination, he found that INR 12,250 had been withdrawn from his salary account. Additionally, he discovered an unauthorized transaction amounting to INR 1.9 lacs from his gold loan account.

Notably, he received the OTPs for these transactions but did not share them, yet the transactions were still successfully executed.

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In a related incident, the scammers attempted to initiate further unauthorized transactions totaling INR 14,000 using the constable’s credit card. Fortunately, the constable promptly froze his bank accounts and credit card, thereby averting additional financial loss.

Subsequent police investigations revealed that the fraudsters had accessed the constable’s bank accounts and mobile devices after he inadvertently downloaded an APK file by clicking on a misleading link sent by the scammers. The malware associated with this link captured sensitive information, including login credentials and OTPs, enabling the scammers to circumvent security measures and execute fraudulent transactions.

It remains unclear whether the constable’s QR code was compromised or if the scam was perpetrated through an alternative method. This incident is not isolated, as numerous similar scams have been reported, often following the unwitting download of APK applications by users.