Amresh Parab
Panaji
Watch out if you are a pensioner and you submit your life certificate to bank online, as a retired government servant from South Goa has lost over Rs 8 lakh to what police describe as the ‘digital life
certificate scam’.
A 73-year-old man from Margao told the cyber crime police at Ribandar that an unknown person, along with another accused, contacted him through WhatsApp.
The complainant said the accused claimed to be executives of a nationalised bank and said that the life certificate submitted online by the complainant for pension verification had not been processed. The accused further offered to provide assistance to the man to resubmit the life certificate.
Believing the caller to be a genuine bank official, the complainant acted upon his instructions and
accepted an APK (Android Package Kit) file sent by the accused on WhatsApp, police said.
Upon installing the APK file, the complainant was induced to enter his personal details and debit card credentials.
Subsequently, the accused person fraudulently debited a total sum of Rs 8,08,000 from the complainant’s account maintained at the nationalised bank and transferred the money to different bank accounts of the accused persons.
Based on the complaint, the cyber crime police registered an FIR and are further investigating the case.
According to police, when such APK files are installed, they can steal sensitive information like banking credentials, leading to financial loss. This is also referred to as APK fraud. Police have urged the public to be cautious and avoid clicking on links or installing apps from unverified sources.
Police said the public can report suspicious messages to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930 (cybercrime helpline).
According to information, banks have also cautioned their customers to avoid clicking on links or installing apps from unverified sources.
