Cons pose as bank officials, IGL staff to cheat 3 of Rs 24L

Noida: A 69-year-old cloth trader from Sector 61 was cheated of Rs 8 lakh after cyber criminals posing as bank officials offered to arrange a credit card without requiring a branch visit.In his complaint, the trader said he received a phone call on May 18, during which the caller introduced himself as a bank official and offered to complete the formalities for a credit card from the comfort of his home.The trader was first asked to share personal details on the phone. The fraudsters then directed him to fill out an online form and sent an Android Package Kit file — a malicious .apk file — on WhatsApp. Once installed, the app sought access to his SMS, contacts and notifications.The trader was told his credit card application had been successfully processed and the card would be delivered home. The following day, he received four transaction alerts informing him that Rs 8 lakh had been debited from his account. He approached the cybercrime police and also filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.Police said the case was the third of its kind targeting senior citizens in the city, with collective losses of Rs 24 lakh across the three incidents.In another case, a 61-year-old retired railway employee from Sector 107, who searched online for information on income tax Form 16 on July 3, received a call from someone who claimed he could help obtain the form and persuaded him to download an .apk file. Soon after, the victim received transaction alerts that Rs 9 lakh had been debited from his account.In yet another incident, a 67-year-old resident of Sector 31 was contacted by a caller posing as an Indraprastha Gas Limited employee, who claimed a gas bill was outstanding. When the victim said the bill had already been paid, the caller offered to show the alleged dues and sent an APK file. After it was downloaded, around Rs 7 lakh was transferred from his account.Police explained that once an APK file is installed, the app requests access to SMS, contacts and notifications. If granted, it allows fraudsters to intercept OTPs and silently drain bank accounts or access sensitive information stored on the phone.Cases have been registered in all three instances. Police are examining bank accounts used in the transactions and other digital evidence to identify those responsible.