BENGALURU: As the state government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic e-challan fines, cyber fraudsters are taking advantage of the situation by duping the public through APK file links claiming to help check and pay fines.
Recently, a 50-year-old software engineer lost Rs 2.65 lakh after clicking on an APK file sent through WhatsApp, believing it to be a link to clear his traffic violation dues online.
The Kodigehalli police said that, the victim, Murali Mohan, a resident of Telecom Layout, who was browsing a government website on Saturday to check if there were any pending traffic fines against his vehicle.
Shortly after, he received a WhatsApp message from an unidentified number containing an APK link, asking him to download it to make the payment. Believing it to be genuine, he clicked on the file, following which his phone was compromised. Within minutes, Rs 2,65,979 was siphoned off.
The police said that based on the complaint, the money trail is being traced and further investigation is underway. The police also advised the public not to click on any links sent by unknown persons.