35-year-old Hyderabad businessman loses ₹1.23 lakh via IndusInd Bank WhatsApp APK scam involving OTP diversion

Summary

A 35-year-old businessman in Hyderabad lost Rs 1.23 lakh after falling victim to a credit card reward point scam. He was contacted by a fraudster posing as an IndusInd Bank executive, who sent a malicious link via WhatsApp and instructed him to download an APK file onto an Android device. After entering his credit card details into the fake app, the victim noticed four unauthorised transactions totaling Rs 1.2 lakh had been processed without OTP verification. He filed a complaint with the Cybercrime Wing, prompting a probe. Authorities issued an advisory warning against installing apps from unverified sources and sharing card details. A cybersecurity researcher noted that the scam likely involved diverting OTPs to the fraudster after the APK was installed on an Android device.