Bengaluru: A deputy range forest officer in Bengaluru allegedly lost nearly ₹10 lakh to cyber fraud after downloading and installing a malicious APK file disguised as a wedding invitation received through WhatsApp.
According to police, the officer believed the invitation to be genuine and downloaded the APK file onto the mobile phone. Soon after the installation, cybercriminals allegedly gained unauthorised access to the device and carried out multiple transactions from the officer’s Bank of Baroda account on July 14.
The victim later discovered that ₹9,96,659 had been withdrawn through several unauthorised transactions.
Realising that the phone had likely been compromised, the officer deleted all APK files from the device and approached the police to report the incident.
Malware suspected behind fraud
Police suspect that unknown cyber fraudsters used the malicious APK file to infect the phone with malware, enabling them to access sensitive information, including banking credentials, and siphon off the money.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to identify those behind the fraud.
Officials said cybercriminals have increasingly been using APK files disguised as wedding invitations, event notifications, courier updates, and other seemingly legitimate messages to target smartphone users through WhatsApp.
Police issue cyber safety advisory
Cybercrime officials have warned the public not to download or install APK files received through unsolicited WhatsApp messages. They advised users to install applications only from trusted platforms such as the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and to verify the authenticity of any file before opening it.
Officials cautioned that installing malicious APK files can compromise personal data, banking information, messages, and other confidential records, often resulting in financial fraud and identity theft.