Retired RBI employee loses Rs 3.25 lakh in fake ECI verification fraud

A retired RBI employee from Hyderabad lost Rs 3.25 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as Election Commission officials sent him a fake verification link and malicious APK file. The victim later approached Hyderabad Cybercrime police, who registered a case and began investigating

Hyderabad: A retired RBI employee from the city reportedly lost Rs 3.25 lakh after cyber fraudsters posing as Election Commission officials allegedly sent him a fake verification link and induced him to download a malicious APK file.

The victim, a resident of Ameerpet, received an SMS from an unknown number on August 8, claiming to be from an ECI official and warning him to complete his verification within 48 hours.

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The fraudster later contacted him through WhatsApp and asked him to pay Rs 4 for the verification, sending a link to download an APK file named “ECI-Customer Support (PDF).”

The fraudster also reportedly spoke to him over a video call and claimed that the payment had failed, prompting the complainant to make another payment of Rs 5.

Soon after, Rs 3.25 lakh was debited from his two bank accounts.

Realising that he had been cheated, he approached the Hyderabad Cybercrime police, who registered a case and are investigating.