Cybercriminals On The Prowl In Indore! Five Victims Lose Over ₹18 Lakh To Fake E-Challan, Investment, KYC And Parcel Scams

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A cybercriminal lured a young man into a sophisticated e-challan phishing scam, siphoning off Rs 5.66 lakh. The fraudster sent a fake traffic violation SMS to the victim's phone, claiming his vehicle had jumped a red light and incurred a Rs 1,500 fine. Clicking the provided link downloaded a malicious APK file, granting the fraudsters remote access to the victim's smartphone.

Over the next few days, the hackers made 25 unauthorized withdrawals from two linked bank accounts, successfully executing 16 transactions and stealing Rs 5,66,998. The victim, upon noticing the debit alerts, disconnected his mobile data and factory-reset his phone, halting further unauthorized transfers. He subsequently filed a complaint with the national cybercrime portal and requested to freeze his bank accounts.

In another incident, a man in Chandan Nagar lost Rs 8.70 lakh in fake international stock market investments. The fraudster, posing as a woman, used persuasive language to build trust, promising high returns on investments in the international share market. Over nine installments, the victim transferred Rs 8.70 lakh into various bank accounts provided by the fraudster. The victim only realized he had been duped when he did not receive the promised returns, and the fraud came to light.

A housing finance employee lost Rs 1.46 lakh in a gas connection KYC scam. The fraudster impersonated Avantika Gas Agency via a WhatsApp message, requesting a nominal payment of Rs 10 for updating the victim's gas connection KYC. After clicking the provided APK link and attempting the payment, the fraudster hacked the victim's phone, resulting in a loss of Rs 1,46,880 from his bank account and credit card.

A 12th-grade student fell victim to a fake UK gift parcel scam. The fraudster befriended the teenager on Facebook, convincing her that a parcel containing expensive gifts and foreign currency was being sent from the UK. The scammer tricked the victim into transferring Rs 1,75,020 in multiple installments before her father discovered the fraud and reported it to the police.

In a separate incident, a man in Rajrani Nagar lost Rs 51,000 from his bank account in an unauthorised online transaction. The fraudster carried out the illicit transfer while the victim was recharging his wife's mobile phone. After receiving a low-balance alert, the victim reviewed his account statement using the bank application and discovered the unauthorized debit.