Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): Several tehsildars were scammed after they downloaded a corrupt APK file--renamed as a government scheme document, received on a WhatsApp group in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior. The said WhatsApp group has tehsildars and government officials, including senior IAS officers, as members.
A tehsildar lost Rs 65,000 after he clicked on the APK file and mobile phones of several others were compromised.
The scammers use APK files designed as either a government app or a wedding invitation to get into the phones of the users.
According to information, cases of scams using an APK file have risen dramatically in the state. The scammers are not even sparring admin officers. In Gwalior, an APK—disguised as a government scheme app—was sent to a WhatsApp group. The group consisted of admin officers. Unknowingly, Shatrughan Singh Chauhan, the Tehsildar of Bhitarwar, clicked on the link, granting full access to the hackers. Within minutes, ₹65,000 was syphoned from his account, and the link was shared further.
The hackers used his phone to share the malicious APK files in official WhatsApp groups, prompting other members to download them. As a result, phones of several officials, including Dinesh Chaurasia, Tehsildar of Ghatigaon, and Satyendra Tomar, Tehsildar of Bahodapur, were also compromised.
Modus Operandi
These scammers use APK files disguised as either a wedding invitation or a government app to negate the doubts about the link. Once downloaded, these APK files gain complete control over the victim's mobile device. They request access to contacts, location, camera, microphone, gallery, and other sensitive data. Once access is granted, the hackers exploit emails, SMS, and other confidential information to syphon funds from bank accounts.
How to Stay Safe:
Never download APK files from unknown sources.
Disable the auto-download setting in WhatsApp.
Be cautious of APK files disguised as wedding invitations or government scheme updates.
