According to the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, a 75-year-old resident of Habsiguda lost ₹1,09,610 after responding to a fake D-Mart food offer circulating on Facebook.
A wing officer said the victim entered her contact details after seeing an advertisement offering food for ₹298.
On November 24, around 4:30 pm, he received a call from an unknown person who claimed that the order had been confirmed and sent him the APK file via WhatsApp.
Police said the victim installed the file and entered his SBI credit card details to make a payment of ₹298.
His phone then became unresponsive and several OTPs appeared, prompting him to alert his son. The cards were immediately blocked. Checks with SBI and Axis Bank later revealed that three unauthorized transactions worth ₹1,09,610 had been made.
Investigators said scammers are circulating fake D-Mart ads on Facebook that offer unrealistic prices to lure users into sharing personal information. Fraudsters usually send malicious APK files via WhatsApp under the guise of confirming an order or payment. Once installed, these files allow remote access to the victim’s device and financial information, enabling unauthorized transactions without the victim’s knowledge.
Officials advised the public not to click on suspicious links or trust extremely cheap offers on social media and to avoid installing APK files sent by unknown numbers. They said offers should only be verified through official websites or apps of companies like D-Mart. Card details, OTPs and passwords should not be shared with anyone via calls or messages.
Published – 07 Dec 2025 18:48 IST
