Pune News: Online scams are increasingly becoming a serious issue in India, with many individuals tricked by cyber criminals. In a recent case, a police constable from Saswad, near Pune, lost Rs 2.3 lakh in a QR code scam while attempting to make a payment at a local bakery.
The constable reported the incident to the Pune rural police. According to a Times of India report, the scam began when he attempted to pay bill at a local bakery and was instructed to scan a QR code. Shortly after completing the transaction, he noticed an unauthorised debit of Rs 18,755 from his savings account. Concerned, he checked his other accounts and discovered further unauthorised withdrawals, including Rs 12,250 from his salary account, leaving him with just Rs 50.
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The situation escalated when he received a one-time password (OTP) notification for a transaction of Rs 1.9 lakh from his gold loan account. Despite not sharing the OTP, the transaction was completed successfully. The fraudsters also attempted to make two additional transactions of Rs14,000 using his credit card details. Thankfully, the constable acted immediately to freeze his bank accounts and credit card, preventing further losses.
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Investigations are ongoing, with police revealing that the fraudsters likely accessed the constable's mobile phone and bank accounts through a malicious APK file. It is believed he may have unknowingly clicked on a deceptive link sent by the scammers, which installed malware or spyware on his device. This allowed the criminals to capture sensitive information, including login credentials and OTPs, bypassing security measures.
The police are looking into whether the QR code was manipulated to lead the constable to download the malicious file or if other tactics were employed by the fraudsters.