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

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

The accused, a 31-year-old from Faridabad, Haryana, was arrested from the Jamalpur Road area in Haridwar following a detailed investigation led by Inspector Vijay Bharti of the Cyber Crime Police Station. The arrest was made possible through technical analysis, revealing the 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 the arrest.

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

Techniques Used by the Cyber Fraud Gang

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

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

Widespread Impact

The arrested gang leader is implicated in 19 other fraud cases across states including Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. The accused admitted to receiving Rs 71 lakh in suspicious transactions in his bank account and sharing sensitive bank information with other gang members.

Also Read: Scammed By Cyber Frauds? Immediate Steps To Take and How To Secure Your Smartphones From Hackers

Police Appeal for Public Vigilance

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

Also Read: Phone Cloned, OTPs Forwarded: How Delhi Techie Lost ₹1.3 Lakh from Two Credit Cards in Cyber Scam

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

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