Rs 32 Lakh-Cyber Scam Busted: How Hackers Stole OTPs, Bank Details From Ola, Uber Apps To Con People

Dehrun: Cyber Crime Police Station in Dehrun, with Special Task Force (STF), successfully arrested leer of a cyber fraud gang in Haridwar. gang is responsible for a massive Rs 32 lakh scam and has been linked to 19 or fraud cases across 12 states.

accused, a 31-year-old from Faridab, Haryana, was arrested from Jamalpur Ro area in Haridwar following a detailed investigation led by Inspector Vijay Bharti of Cyber Crime Police Station. arrest was me possible through technical analysis, revealing accused's involvement in a series of cyber frauds. A mobile handset with two SIM cards, one used to receive SMS alerts for fraudulent bank transactions, was seized during arrest.

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team included SI Himmat Singh, ASI Manoj Beniwal, Constable Neeraj Negi and Constable Yogeshwar Pras Kanti.

Techniques Used by Cyber Fraud Gang

gang employed sophisticated tactics to defraud victims by creating fake websites posing as reputable stock tring companies like PIMCO Capital and Kotak Securities. Victims were lured into joining WhatsApp and Telegram groups, such as "E19 PIMCO Stocks Pull Up Group," where fraudsters posed as company employees, encouraging victims to downlo a fake app, Kotakss.Pro, for stock tring. One victim lost Rs 31,98,742 through multiple transactions after falling for scam in June 2024, leing to registration of FIR No. 43/2024 under sections 420, 120-B IPC, and 66(D) of IT Act.

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gang furr utilized social media platforms to solicit bank account details for fraudulent purposes. Services like Rapido, Ola, and Uber were used to physically collect se details from different cities. gang also employed an OTP-sharing app called HHSMSApp to share bank OTPs among members, bypassing security measures by distributing app as an APK file through WhatsApp groups.

Widespre Impact

arrested gang leer is implicated in 19 or fraud cases across states including Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nu, Uttar Presh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Presh, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. accused mitted to receiving Rs 71 lakh in suspicious transactions in his bank account and sharing sensitive bank information with or gang members.

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Police Appeal for Public Vigilance

Senior Superintendent of Police, STF Uttarakhand, Ayush Agarwal, has issued a public visory urging caution when using online platforms for jobs or investments. He emphasized importance of verifying websites with local banks or companies before engaging in any financial transactions. He also vised against searching for customer care numbers on Google and encouraged public to contact nearest police station or Cyber Crime Police Station in case of any doubts.

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Deputy Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime Uttarakhand, Ankush Mishra, ded a warning against downloing malicious APK files from unverified sources, stressing dangers posed by such apps in facilitating cybercrime.

In cases of financial cybercrime, public is urged to contact helpline number 1930 immediately for assistance.