Retired Pune Banker Scammed for Rs 33 Lakh Using Fake APK Credit Card Link

Swargate, 13th December 2024: A 61-year-old retired bank employee from the Shivdarshan area fell victim to an elaborate credit card scam, losing ₹33 lakh across six transactions. The scam unfolded after she unknowingly downloaded a fraudulent Android Package Kit (APK) file and shared her banking details.

The victim, a retired special assistant from a public sector bank, received a call on December 8 from a person claiming to represent the bank she had worked for. “The caller was very convincing and even referred to the bank I was associated with,” she explained in her complaint to the Parvati police. The scammer directed her to download an APK file for credit card application verification and asked her to provide details of her bank accounts.

Following the instructions, she downloaded the file, enabled permissions, and entered her personal and banking details. The next day, the fraudster called again, asking whether she had initiated a ₹5 lakh RTGS transaction. Before she could respond, the call was disconnected, and within moments, she received a message confirming the transaction.

Alarmed, the woman immediately visited her bank, where she discovered that ₹33 lakh had been siphoned off from her accounts in six transactions across three branches. The funds were accessed through phone banking services.

Senior officials at the Parvati police station confirmed the details of the incident. “The complainant noticed a credit card application link on her Facebook page on December 7. Believing it to be legitimate, she clicked on it and filled in her details,” said the investigating officer. “The next day, she was contacted by a scammer posing as a bank representative, who tricked her into downloading an APK file, giving him remote access to her phone and banking details.”

The officer added, “We have sought transaction records from her bank and have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Efforts are underway to trace the fraudster.”

Authorities are urging citizens to exercise caution while sharing personal or financial information online and to verify the authenticity of communication claiming to be from banks or financial institutions.