Techie loses ₹13 lakh in cyber scam: Know how fraudsters exploited remote access to steal money

tech.hindustantimes.com:

A recent cyber scam in Pune has exposed the risks posed by fraudsters who exploit trust to steal money. A 57-year-old technical officer working at a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility lost ₹13 lakh to a remote access scam. The fraudsters used a familiar tactic: posing as bank officials to gain the victim's trust.

The officer received a WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be from a public sector bank. The message informed him that his Know Your Customer (KYC) details were outdated and that his account would be frozen unless he updated them. To make the message seem more credible, the scammers included an attachment. Trusting the message, the officer downloaded the file, which turned out to be a remote access app. Soon after, he started receiving one-time passwords (OTPs), but since he wasn't making any transactions at the time, he dismissed them.

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However, within moments, Rs. 12.95 lakh disappeared from his bank account. Realising that he had been scammed, the officer reported the incident to the police. This case serves as a warning of the increasing prevalence of remote access scams, where fraudsters trick victims into downloading malicious apps, giving them full access to their phones. From there, they can transfer money from the victim's account.

These scammers often disguise their actions by using fake reasons, such as KYC updates or unpaid bills, to get people to download harmful apps.

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Staying vigilant can help protect you from falling victim to similar scams.