Ahmedabad Man Loses ₹7.74 Lakh In Fake Adani Gas Bill Scam After Installing APK
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A 58-year-old interior designer from Paldi allegedly lost ₹7.74 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as Adani Gas officials sent him a malicious APK file, claiming his piped gas connection would be disconnected over an unpaid bill.
The accused allegedly used a fake WhatsApp profile, a fabricated bill-update process and a phone call to obtain the victim's banking and debit card details before money was transferred from his Bank of India account.
Fake Gas Disconnection Warning On WhatsApp
According to the complaint filed by Rikinbhai Bharatbhai Mehta, the incident took place on September 29.
At around 11.58am, Mehta allegedly received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number whose profile picture displayed the Adani Gas logo.
The message warned that his piped gas connection would be disconnected at 9pm because the previous month's bill had allegedly not been updated.
He was instructed to contact a purported bill-update officer named Deepak Verma on another mobile number.
Believing the communication to be genuine, Mehta contacted the number.
‘Adani Gas Bill Update.apk’ Becomes The Trap
The person on the other end allegedly told Mehta that he needed to install an APK file named “Adani Gas Bill Update.apk” to update his gas bill.
The caller also allegedly asked whether Mehta used net banking.
When Mehta said he was not familiar with net banking, the caller allegedly instructed him to download the APK and enter his Bank of India account number and debit card details.
Mehta subsequently entered his account number, debit card number and CVV into the application.
The transaction reportedly appeared to have failed.
But the alleged fraud did not end there.
Caller Keeps Victim On Phone As Money Moves
The WhatsApp call allegedly remained active, with the caller telling Mehta that the failed transaction would be checked in the system and asking him to wait for five to 10 minutes.
The call was subsequently disconnected.
Soon afterwards, Mehta began receiving multiple messages relating to OTPs, changes to his debit card limit and withdrawals from his bank account.
He then realised that he had allegedly been duped and contacted his bank to block the account.
₹7.73 Lakh Transferred In Four Transactions
According to the complaint, a total of ₹7.73 lakh was transferred from Mehta's Bank of India account in four transactions on September 29.
The transactions were:
- ₹5 lakh
- ₹48,985
- ₹2 lakh
- ₹25,000
The complaint states that the money was transferred through different banking channels into other accounts.
The reported loss has been stated as ₹7.74 lakh.
Cyber Cell Traces APK And Money Trail
After discovering the fraud, Mehta contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and also filed a complaint through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
The complaint alleges that the fraudsters used the fake WhatsApp profile, APK file and telephone calls to impersonate Adani Gas employees, obtain his debit card details and gain access to his mobile device and banking information.
The Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch has registered a case against unidentified accused persons and launched an investigation.
Police are examining the mobile numbers used by the fraudsters, the APK file and the bank accounts through which the allegedly stolen money was routed.
