A 74-year-old businessman from Santosh Nagar in Hyderabad fell victim to a cyber fraud, losing ₹10 lakh to scammers impersonating officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). The fraudsters tricked him into installing a malicious mobile application to pay a pending water bill of just ₹10.
How the Scam Unfolded
According to the victim, on May 21, he received a WhatsApp message that appeared to be from the Water Board. The message claimed that his water connection would be disconnected that night due to an unupdated meter reading. Alarmed, he called the phone number provided in the message. The caller, posing as a Water Board employee, informed him that an outstanding amount of ₹10 needed to be paid immediately.
The fraudster then guided the victim over a WhatsApp voice call, sending him an APK file named "HMWSSB CAN UPDATE.apk." He instructed the victim to install the app and make the payment through it. Although the payment attempt initially failed, the victim later received bank alerts on June 3 indicating that ₹10 lakh had been debited from his account in three separate transactions.
Police Investigation
Police officials explained that the malicious app allowed the fraudster to access the victim's internet banking details. Using this information, the scammers transferred the money to other bank accounts. Based on the victim's complaint, the Hyderabad cybercrime police registered a case under Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act, along with Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 319(2) (cheating by personation) of the BNS on Wednesday.
Precautionary Advice
Authorities urge citizens to be cautious of unsolicited messages and calls demanding payments or installing apps. They advise verifying the authenticity of any communication claiming to be from official bodies like HMWSSB by contacting them directly through verified channels. Never install APK files from unknown sources, and avoid sharing sensitive banking information over the phone or through unverified apps.
