Three Hyderabad residents lost money in separate cyber scams after they downloaded or were tricked into installing malicious APK files that allowed fraudsters to remotely access their phones and make unauthorized bank transactions.
An officer from the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Branch said the first victim, a 39-year-old resident of Asif Nagar, received a WhatsApp link disguised as an SBI credit card update. After installing a file called SBI Credit Card.apk, his phone was compromised and transactions worth ₹ 1,42,881 were made from his SBI credit card.
In the second incident, a 43-year-old resident of Gudimalkapur in Karwan lost ₹1 lakh after fraudsters remotely installed an APK named RTOEchallan.apk on his phone. The amount was transferred through IMPS even though he did not share the OTP or click on any link.
In the third case, a 45-year-old resident of Secunderabad was told by a caller posing as a representative of YES Bank that his card required verification. He was instructed to download a file called YES Bank Credit Card.APK and enter his card details. Soon after, fraudulent transactions worth ₹1,48,380 were made from his YES Bank credit card.
The cyber crime unit urged the public not to download APK files received through WhatsApp, SMS or social media links, warning that such files often mimic government services, banking platforms or RTO challan updates. Once installed, they allow fraudsters to take control of devices and steal sensitive financial information.
Published – 14 Nov 2025 20:34 IST
