Mangaluru: Three residents, including a 73-year-old man, have collectively lost Rs 4,81,282 in three separate cyber fraud incidents involving a fake mParivahan application, a fraudulent life certificate service and an online loan offer.

The CEN crime police have registered cases in all three incidents.

Fake mParivahan APK costs 29-year-old Rs 2.61 lakh

A 29-year-old man lost Rs 2,61,282 after allegedly downloading a malicious APK file disguised as the mParivahan mobile application.

According to his complaint, four unauthorised transactions were carried out from his bank account around 3.31 pm on November 10, resulting in a total loss of Rs 2,61,282.

The victim reportedly learnt about the transactions after checking his account and informing his family members. During the subsequent discussion, he discovered that an APK file bearing the name ‘mParivahan’ had been downloaded on his mobile phone.

Suspecting that the application was responsible for the unauthorised transactions, he immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and registered an online complaint. The CEN crime police have taken up the case.

73-year-old loses Rs 1.2 lakh to fake life certificate assistance

In another incident, a 73-year-old man was cheated of Rs 1.2 lakh by fraudsters who allegedly posed as bank employees and offered assistance with submitting his life certificate online.

According to the complaint, the victim was playing a game on his mobile phone on November 7 when he came across an advertisement displaying a bank logo and offering an online life certificate service.

He clicked on the advertisement, entered the requested information and submitted the form. However, an error message stating ‘Something went wrong’ appeared on the screen.

Soon afterwards, he received a call from an unidentified person who introduced himself as an employee of the bank’s life certificate department. The caller asked whether he had attempted to submit his life certificate online and subsequently sent an APK file to his WhatsApp number, asking him to install it to complete the process.

Believing the caller, the elderly man installed the application and entered his personal details, debit card information, PIN and mobile number.

Shortly afterwards, Rs 1.2 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account through multiple transactions on November 7. The transactions were linked to his account at the Mangaluru branch of the bank. The CEN crime police are investigating the case.

Fake Rs 5-lakh loan offer leaves 32-year-old poorer by Rs 1.1 lakh

A 32-year-old man lost Rs 1,10,499 after allegedly falling victim to fraudsters who approached him with an online loan offer advertised on Instagram.

According to his complaint, the victim came across the advertisement while browsing Instagram on November 9. After clicking on it, he submitted his name, residential address and PAN details.

Around 4.30 pm, he received a call from an unidentified person claiming to represent a finance company. The caller informed him that his loan application had been received and offered him a loan of Rs 5 lakh.

During a subsequent call around 5 pm, the caller claimed that the loan was covered by insurance and demanded Rs 5,999 towards the insurance charges. Trusting the offer, the victim transferred the amount through a digital payment application to a mobile number provided by the caller.

The fraudsters subsequently demanded more money, claiming that additional payments were required towards loan-related taxes. The victim transferred Rs 18,500, Rs 29,999 and Rs 39,999 through multiple transactions between November 9 and 11.

He also transferred another Rs 19,999 from his wife’s bank account on November 9. In total, the family lost Rs 1,10,499.

The CEN crime police have registered a case and are investigating.