A 57-year-old man from Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly defrauded of Rs 9.08 lakh by <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-crime-news/article/thane-man-loses-rs-71-1-lakh-to-cyber-fraudsters-posing-as-cbi-officers-23624129" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">cyber criminals</a> through a malicious link under the pretext of updating his Mahanagar Gas bill payment, police said on Friday.
According to the police, the incident took place between May 19 and June 1.
The complainant, a resident of Kalyan, had already paid his gas bill online when he received a fraudulent communication claiming non-payment. The message had an <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-crime-news/article/isi-underworld-terror-module-case-thane-court-grants-transit-remand-for-suspect-23633519" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">APK link</a>, which installed an application called "Gas Bill" on his phone, said an official.
An APK (Android Package Kit) is the file format Android uses to install apps.
The app prompted the complainant to make a nominal payment of Rs 12 using his debit card, net banking, or credit card. When the payment failed, the sender of the message told him to change certain settings on his mobile phone.
"As soon as the settings were changed, the fraudsters gained remote access to the victim's device. Recognising suspicious activity, the man disconnected the call, but shortly after, Rs 9.08 lakh was debited from his <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-crime-news/article/thane-man-loses-rs-11-69-lakh-in-forex-trading-fraud-police-launch-probe-23605895" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">bank account</a> in three separate transactions," an official said.
A case has been registered at the Khadakpada police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway, the official added.
<h2>Cyber fraudster hacks CISF constable's phone, siphons off Rs 96,000</h2>
In another case, a CISF constable has become the latest victim of a <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtras-thane-man-duped-of-rs-28-lakh-in-digital-arrest-scam-23625045" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">cyber fraud</a> after an unidentified fraudster allegedly hacked his mobile phone and siphoned off Rs 95,668 from his bank account, a Mumbai Police official said on Wednesday.
Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation.
The complainant is posted at the CISF office located in the Mahim Police Colony.
On Saturday, he noticed that his mobile phone was suddenly resetting itself. He also found that all applications installed on the device were being automatically deleted. After some time, the phone restarted and began functioning normally, police said.
He assumed that it was a normal glitch and reinstalled the PhonePe application. When the constable checked the balance in his bank account, he discovered that Rs 95,668 had been debited without his authorisation.
He immediately approached his bank and requested the blocking of his account.
Bank authorities reportedly informed him that his mobile phone appeared to have been compromised and that cyber fraudsters had gained access to his account and transferred money through online transactions.
The constable contacted the cyber helpline and later lodged a complaint with the Mahim Police, leading to registration of a case on the charge of cheating and under the Information Technology Act, an official added.
(With inputs from PTI)

A 57-year-old man from Thane district was allegedly defrauded of Rs 9 lakh by cyber criminals through malicious link under pretext of updating his gas payment

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The complainant, a resident of Kalyan, had already paid his gas bill online when he received a fraudulent communication claiming non-payment

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