Santoshnagar Businessman Loses Rs 10 Lakh to Fake Water Board Officials

A 74-year-old businessman residing in the Santoshnagar locality of Hyderabad has fallen victim to a major cyber fraud, losing Rs 10 lakh to tricksters masquerading as officials of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB). The cyber criminals managed to siphon off the massive sum from the elderly victim's bank account after deceiving him into installing a malicious APK file on his mobile phone.

According to the official complaint lodged with the Cyber Crime Police, the fraudulent encounter began on May 21. On this date, the businessman received a WhatsApp message on his mobile phone from an unknown number. The sender of the message claimed to represent the water board and stated that the victim's water meter reading had not been updated for the previous month.

The message carried a stern warning, stating that the water connection to the businessman's residence would be disconnected immediately if he failed to take prompt action to rectify the situation. Anxious to avoid losing his water connection, the victim engaged with the fraudsters.

The cyber criminals then sent an APK file to the businessman via WhatsApp, which was named after the HMWSSB. They instructed him that installing this specific file on his mobile phone was a mandatory step required to clear his alleged outstanding dues and update his meter reading.

Trusting the instructions of the purported officials, the businessman proceeded to install the malicious APK file on his phone. He then made an initial payment of Rs 10 as directed by the fraudsters to complete the process.

However, the installation of the file allowed the fraudsters to gain unauthorised access to his financial details. Soon after, a sum of Rs 10 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account. The total amount was siphoned off through three separate unauthorised transactions.

Realising that he had been severely deceived, the elderly businessman quickly contacted the national cybercrime helpline number 1930 to report the financial fraud. Following his call, he lodged a formal complaint. The Cyber Crime Police have registered a case regarding the incident and are currently conducting an investigation into the matter.