Forest officer in Bengaluru loses nearly Rs 10 lakh after clicking on APK file

A deputy range forest officer (DRFO) named Ramesh Babu V lost nearly Rs 10 lakh after clicking a malicious APK file on WhatsApp.

The APK file was disguised as an engagement invitation and sent from a friend's hacked WhatsApp account.

Within 30 minutes, Rs 9,96,659 was siphoned from his bank account in seven unauthorized transactions.

All APK files on his phone were later deleted, indicating the malware compromised his device to access his bank account.

Victim reported the fraud to cyber helpline 1930 and filed a complaint with the north cybercrime police.