Engineer loses ₹2.6 lakh while trying to pay traffic fine

A 50-year-old engineer lost ₹2.6 lakh by clicking an apk file sent to him on WhatsApp, to pay penalty of traffic violations online. He later approached the Kodigehalli Police seeking help to recover lost money.

Based on the complaint filed by Murali Mohan, a resident of Telecom Layout, the police have registered an FIR against unknown person for further investigation.

According to the complaint, Mr. Mohan was checking if there were any pending dues against his vehicle on the government website. He claimed that a few minutes later, he got an apk file link on WhatsApp from an unknown number, asking him to click the file to pay the dues. Soon after clicking the link, his phone was hacked and a total of ₹2,65,979 was deducted through unauthorised transactions, he said.

This case has also raised concerns as to how come the victim checking his traffic fine dues on the government website, was followed by an apk file link sent to him.

The police who are trying to track down the accused through the transaction details advised people not to click any apk files they receive. This is one of the common modus operandi of the cyber fraudsters. Apk files usually plant malware and are used to hack phones, they said, adding especially now that many are trying to pay their dues owing to the 50% rebate window.

Traffic fines can be paid through the Karnataka State Police (KSP) app, BTP ASTraM app introduced by the Bangalore Traffic Division. Payments can be made by providing your vehicle registration number at the nearest traffic police station as well, a senior official said. Payments can be made at the Traffic Management Centre. Details can be obtained and payment made on the Karnataka One / Bangalore One websites.