Doctor’s wife loses Rs 2.64 lakh to cyber crooks while searching for washer repair

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Cybercriminals hacked a woman’s phone and siphoned off Rs 2.64 lakh after she searched online for a washing machine repair number. The Pundaliknagar Police have registered a case and launched a probe under the guidance of police inspector Ashok Bhandare.

The 28-year-old homemaker Arti Sonune from the Cidco area searched Google on September 12 for a Samsung service helpline. She called the first number that appeared, but it was operated by cyber fraudsters. The caller sent her a WhatsApp link containing an APK file named “Repair Service” and asked her to fill in personal details. Later, she was told to send Rs 5 as a test payment for repair registration. Although the payment failed, the caller assured her the issue would be resolved during the technician’s visit. Minutes later, the woman unknowingly gave the criminals full access to her phone by installing the APK file.

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Account emptied in hours

By 1.30 pm, two test transactions of Rs 2 each were made from her account. Soon after, within five steps, Rs 2,63,788 was transferred to unknown accounts. Realizing the fraud, she immediately froze her bank account and reported the matter on the cyber crime portal.

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How the hack worked

Experts confirmed the APK file was malicious and gave fraudsters remote control of her phone. They could monitor every keystroke, including her bank login and passwords, allowing them to clean out her account via mobile banking.

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Cyber safety tips

• Never trust customer care numbers found through random internet searches.

• Use only official company websites for helpline numbers and emails.

• Do not download unknown files or apps from links.

• Avoid sharing personal or bank details on suspicious links.