Gas Bill, Traffic Fine and Facebook Reel Scams Leave Three Ahmedabad Citizens Defrauded of ₹21.89 Lakh
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Cyber fraudsters cheated three residents of Vasna, Naranpura and Ghatlodia of a total ₹21.89 lakh using fake gas bill messages, traffic fine links and a harmful APK file. The victims lost money after fraudsters gained access to their mobile phones and bank accounts. Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police have registered three separate cases and started an investigation based on bank transactions.
- Vasna: A businessman lost ₹10.12 lakh after receiving a fake Adani Gas message.
- Naranpura: A woman lost ₹5.02 lakh after opening a traffic fine link.
- Ghatlodia: An 84-year-old man lost ₹6.74 lakh after a suspicious APK file was downloaded while watching a Facebook Reel.
- Total loss: The three cases resulted in a combined loss of ₹21.89 lakh.
Vasna trader loses ₹10.12 lakh over fake Adani Gas message
A 51-year-old businessman from Vasna received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on September 8. The sender used the Adani Gas logo and claimed that his gas connection would be disconnected because of an unpaid bill. After paying ₹1,851 through Google Pay, he was sent a link to update the bill. Although he did not open the link, fraudsters somehow gained access to his phone and withdrew ₹10.12 lakh from his bank accounts through multiple transactions.
Naranpura woman loses ₹5.02 lakh through gas bill and traffic fine links
A 46-year-old woman from Naranpura received a message about her gas connection being disconnected. After contacting the given number, she was asked to make a ₹10 payment and was sent a link. Later, she received another message about a traffic violation and a ₹1,000 fine. When she opened the link, an application was downloaded onto her phone. The fraudsters then gained access to the device and took ₹5.02 lakh from her AU Small Finance Bank credit card and Indian Overseas Bank account through six transactions.
Facebook Reel leads to ₹6.74 lakh loss through PhonePe AutoPay
In another case, an 84-year-old man from Ghatlodia was watching a Facebook Reel on September 8 when a suspicious APK file was downloaded on his phone. The phone stopped working properly, and his family deleted the file and restarted the device. The next day, several messages showed that money was being deducted from the bank account. The family later found that the fraudsters had activated the AutoPay option on PhonePe and transferred ₹6.74 lakh through 12 transactions from Bank of Baroda and Central Bank of India accounts.
All three victims reported the fraud through the cybercrime helpline 1930. Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police registered separate cases against unknown persons and started checking the bank transactions to trace the fraudsters.
