Car driver clicks on APK link to pay traffic violation, loses ₹66,000

A car driver who tried to clear a fine for a traffic violation clicked on an APK file he received, and ended up losing ₹66,000.

Based on the complaint, the central division cyber crime police have registered a case of cheating under the IT Act .

A resident of Seshadripuram, in his complaint, said that he received a message from his employer on WhatsApp containing the details of the traffic violation of ₹1,000 and asked him to pay it, and sent him a message that an unidentified person had sent him.

When he went to the message containing the APK file link and clicked it open to add his mobile phone number and vehicle details, he was asked to pay ₹1 for confirmation. As soon as he paid ₹1, a total of ₹66,000 was deducted from his savings account.

The police are now trying to track down the accused through the transaction details. They advised people not to click on any APK files or links they receive from random numbers. These APK file can also be used by the hackers to upload malicious files leading to potential cyber threats of data theft and unauthorised transactions, they warned. 

The police have requested people to pay traffic violations only through authorised links and advised them not to entertain any random messages. The Traffic Department will not send messages to individuals asking to pay fines, a police officer added .