HYDERABAD: A 65-year-old private school teacher from Saidabad lost Rs 3.92 lakh after being tricked into installing a malicious APK file on his phone.
The victim told the Hyderabad Cybercrime police that the trouble began on May 29, when he clicked a YouTube advertisement for white reading glasses. He placed an order via the advertised website, but was delivered black eyeglasses through Ekart courier service.
To resolve the issue, he used ChatGPT to search for Ekart’s customer care helpline.
He called a number that it suggested and the person who answered requested his order number and delivery ID, promising to initiate a replacement. Shortly after, a fraudster masquerading as a customer care representative contacted the victim on WhatsApp. The scammer sent a malicious application named “Customer Support.apk” and instructed the teacher to install it.
Trusting the representative, the victim installed and opened the app. The caller then asked if he possessed an American Express or Visa card. Growing suspicious, the teacher stated he only had a Bank of Baroda debit card, abruptly ended the call, and closed the app.
Despite refusing to share his card details or authorise any transfers, the teacher later discovered multiple unauthorised transactions.
A total of Rs 3.92 lakh had been drained from his bank account without his knowledge.
The Hyderabad Cybercrime police have registered a case.