Scam spread via WhatsApp hack
A police team had earlier travelled to Uttar Pradesh, obtained arrest warrants from a local court and arrested Atul Kumar Singh (32) and Manish Singh (24). A third accused, a minor, was served a notice and added to the case. The two arrested were remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday.
According to police, despite multiple agencies across India attempting to trace similar fraudsters, Kochi cyber police were the first to make arrests in such a scam.
The fake app, once installed, gave remote access to victims' devices. Their WhatsApp accounts were hijacked and used to send further phishing messages and access instant delivery e-commerce sites. The repeated misuse of victims' accounts made tracking the original perpetrators challenging, police said.
The case involves a Kochi resident who received a WhatsApp message, appearing to be from the M Parivahan app, regarding a traffic fine.
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He was instructed to install an app to pay the fine, which turned out to be malicious. After installation, his device was compromised and Rs 85,000 worth of gift cards were fraudulently purchased using his credit card.
Officers said so far, Kochi has recorded over 96 complaints tied to this scam. Across Kerala, more than 575 individuals are believed to have lost money. Investigators tracked IP addresses and phone records to Varanasi, where the fraud network operated. Police estimate the group may have cheated victims of crores, with proceeds used for luxury spending and investments in cryptocurrency.
They stressed enabling two-factor authentication on all accounts to help prevent such frauds.
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