Upendra–Priyanka phones hacked: Cyber criminals demand Rs 22,000 in shocking scam; Sandalwood couple alerts fans and friends

Popular Sandalwood actor and director Upendra and his wife, Priyanka Upendra, have recently fallen into the web of cybercriminals. As per NDTV, their mobile phones were hacked, and the criminals sent messages to the couple's contacts, asking them to send Rs 22,000 through a UPI transaction.

Furthermore, it is said that a fraud attempt was made under the guise of "we will refund the money in two hours."

Priyanka mistakes a suspicious message

The incident began when Priyanka Upendra received a suspicious message. The message read, “An order could not be delivered; please call a number with specific symbols.” When Priyanka called the number mentioned in it, her mobile was hacked. Later, when Upendra called the same number from his phone, his mobile was also hacked.

Upendra goes live on social media

Shocked by the cyberattack, Upendra immediately went live on social media to warn people. “My wife, Priyanka, received a message. We both dialed the number in it separately. After that, both of our phones were hacked. No one should respond to those messages," he reportedly said. Priyanka Upendra also appealed to the people: “My phone and Upi’s (Upendra’s) phone have been hacked. Some people are asking for money through UPI in our name.

Please don’t send money to anyone. It’s not us,” she said.

Upendra recently shined in Rajinikanth’s 'Coolie'

Upendra recently played a key role in Rajinikanth's starrer 'Coolie,' and his role received great attention. Upendra made a Tamil comeback after two decades through Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial, and the Kannada actor is anticipated to sign more films in Tamil. Priyanka, who has acted more in Kannada films, has acted in Tamil and Bengali films and recently made a special appearance in the Kannada film ‘Gauri’ (2024). After the wedding with Upendra, Priyanka focuses on family life, and the couple has two children, Ayush Upendra and Aishwarya Upendra.