In a distressing incident, a judge from a Patna civil court fell prey to cybercriminals, losing Rs55,000 after being duped into downloading a malicious app through WhatsApp. The scammers cleverly masqueraded as an electricity bill collector, playing on the urgency of payment to infiltrate his smartphone and empty his bank account.
Patna: In a high-profile cyberfraud case, a civil court judge in Patna was duped of Rs55,000 on Friday after cybercriminals sent an APK file on WhatsApp under the pretext of an unpaid electricity bill.Police said the judge received a call claiming his electricity connection would be disconnected if the pending bill was not cleared immediately. The fraudsters then shared an APK file on WhatsApp and guided the process. The file was downloaded on the phone and the steps were followed, after which Rs55,000 was debited from the judge’s bank account.The judge later approached the Patna cyber police station and lodged a complaint detailing the sequence of events.
A case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Police are yet to trace the mobile number used by the accused.Cyber police officials said fraudsters are increasingly using APK files disguised as utility payment applications to gain access to users’ devices and siphon money. They exploit urgency around bill payments to trick victims into installing malicious files and sharing sensitive information.According to police data, around 400 cyberfraud cases have been registered in Patna between Jan and April this year. The trend continues, with 12 to 14 cases reported so far in April.
