<p>Bengaluru: A 46-year-old man from Byatarayanapura lost Rs 5.6 lakh from his two credit cards after downloading a fraudulent mobile app, believing it to be an official Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) application for clearing pending challans.</p>.<p>Dhanraj R (name changed) received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on the afternoon of February 20.</p>.<p>The message claimed that a traffic ticket had been issued against his vehicle and urged him to download the VAHAN PARIVAHAN app via a provided link to review the evidence.</p>.<p>"Traffic Ticket APK (No. KA153588159070) has been issued for your vehicle, registered under the number KA********. The evidence for this ticket was captured by our CCTV cameras. If you believe this ticket has been issued in error, we encourage you to download the VAHAN PARIVAHAN App using the link below," the message read, as per the FIR.</p>.Falcon Ponzi scheme: Over 180 Bengalureans lose over Rs 41 crore.<p>Since the mentioned vehicle number matched his own, Dhanraj clicked the link, installing the APK file on his phone.</p>.<p>Over the next 24 hours, Rs 5.6 lakh was fraudulently debited from his two credit cards without his knowledge.</p>.<p>Realising that his phone had been compromised, Dhanraj reported the incident to the West CEN police, lodging an FIR on February 22.</p>.<p>A police officer investigating the case said, "Prima facie, the APK likely contained malware, such as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), which allowed the fraudsters to access credit card details and siphon the money."</p>.<p>A senior police official said the BTP does not send challans via WhatsApp or SMS. "The public should remain vigilant and avoid clicking on unknown links," he cautioned.</p>.<p>The police have launched an investigation into the scam.</p>.<p><strong>'Stay sharp' </strong></p>.<p>Notably, on February 20 — the same day Dhanraj received the scam message— the BTP issued a public alert on social media, warning residents of such fraudulent messages.</p>.<p>"Scammers are pretending to be Bengaluru Traffic Police on WhatsApp! Fake messages, fake fines, and dangerous APK links—don’t fall for the trap! Always check https://btp.gov.in or the Astram App for real updates. Stay sharp, stay safe!" the alert read.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A 46-year-old man from Byatarayanapura lost Rs 5.6 lakh from his two credit cards after downloading a fraudulent mobile app, believing it to be an official Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) application for clearing pending challans.</p>.<p>Dhanraj R (name changed) received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number on the afternoon of February 20.</p>.<p>The message claimed that a traffic ticket had been issued against his vehicle and urged him to download the VAHAN PARIVAHAN app via a provided link to review the evidence.</p>.<p>"Traffic Ticket APK (No. KA153588159070) has been issued for your vehicle, registered under the number KA********. The evidence for this ticket was captured by our CCTV cameras. If you believe this ticket has been issued in error, we encourage you to download the VAHAN PARIVAHAN App using the link below," the message read, as per the FIR.</p>.Falcon Ponzi scheme: Over 180 Bengalureans lose over Rs 41 crore.<p>Since the mentioned vehicle number matched his own, Dhanraj clicked the link, installing the APK file on his phone.</p>.<p>Over the next 24 hours, Rs 5.6 lakh was fraudulently debited from his two credit cards without his knowledge.</p>.<p>Realising that his phone had been compromised, Dhanraj reported the incident to the West CEN police, lodging an FIR on February 22.</p>.<p>A police officer investigating the case said, "Prima facie, the APK likely contained malware, such as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), which allowed the fraudsters to access credit card details and siphon the money."</p>.<p>A senior police official said the BTP does not send challans via WhatsApp or SMS. "The public should remain vigilant and avoid clicking on unknown links," he cautioned.</p>.<p>The police have launched an investigation into the scam.</p>.<p><strong>'Stay sharp' </strong></p>.<p>Notably, on February 20 — the same day Dhanraj received the scam message— the BTP issued a public alert on social media, warning residents of such fraudulent messages.</p>.<p>"Scammers are pretending to be Bengaluru Traffic Police on WhatsApp! Fake messages, fake fines, and dangerous APK links—don’t fall for the trap! Always check https://btp.gov.in or the Astram App for real updates. Stay sharp, stay safe!" the alert read.</p>