Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi

Udupi, Nov 9: In yet another case of online fraud, a 49-year-old resident of Yerlapadi village in Karkala taluk reportedly lost Rs 1.74 lac after clicking on a deceptive APK file link sent to his phone under the guise of the central government’s ‘PM Kisan’ scheme.

As per the complaint lodged by the victim, G Rajesh Acharya, he received a message containing a link to download an application claiming to be associated with the PM Kisan initiative. Believing it to be genuine, he downloaded the APK file on his mobile phone.

Soon after installation, small amounts of Rs 1.30 and Rs 1.03 were deducted from his account a move often used by fraudsters to test transaction access. Later, on October 31, three larger transactions of Rs 24,990, Rs 50,000, and Rs 25,000 were debited, amounting to Rs 99,992. On November 2, an additional Rs 75,000 was withdrawn from another account belonging to him, taking the total loss to Rs 1,74,992.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the fraudster, who sent the APK link, gained unauthorized access to the victim’s bank credentials through the malicious application.
Following the complaint, Karkala Town Police have registered a case under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

Police have once again urged the public not to download applications or click on links from unknown sources, especially those claiming to offer benefits from government schemes, as such fraudulent activities are on the rise in the region.