Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The cyber crooks have found a new way to burn a hole in pockets of local residents. They now send APK files to people on several messaging applications and no sooner does the person click on them, their device is hacked by the sender.
The sender gains access to their device for 30 to 45 minutes, during which they wipe off money from people’s bank accounts. According to the statistics provided by the district cyber crime cell, a total of 63 such instances were reported in Bhopal in last three months during which people lost Rs 26 lakh to crooks.
The APK files pertain to recharging accounts of people on OTT applications such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, updating the Aadhaar and PAN card details. In some instances, the crooks send APK files with the file name as MP police, owing to which the receiver turns apprehensive and clicks on it, losing their personal data to them.
Advisory issued a month It is noteworthy that almost a month ago, both the district and state cyber cell had issued advisories with regard to fraud. However, people still click on APK file links and lose their money.
What are APK files? The expanded form of APK is Android Package, which is available in a file format on the internet. The APK files allow you to install several applications on your Android devices.
According to sources, the APK files sent by hackers are first modified by them in such a way that grants them access to device of the user who installs it. They then send the modified APK files to several people. Once the user clicks on them to download them on their phone, their personal data is compromised.
