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Sandalwood stars Upendra Rao and Priyanka Upendra fell unfortunate to a blase integer scam aft their phones were hacked by fraudsters impersonating a courier service. The scammers past sent messages to the couple's contacts requesting urgent fiscal assistance, starring some, including their son, to transportation money.
BENGALURU: In a shocking crook of events, Sandalwood mates Upendra Rao and Priyanka Upendra became victims of a ruthless integer scam. What began arsenic a regular time rapidly spiralled into a nightmare erstwhile fraudsters hacked their phones, impersonated trusted couriers, and unleashed a deceptive run to swindle wealth from their contacts.
Some of their household and friends transferred wealth to the fraudsters, forcing the mates to combat backmost and rise alarm earlier much harm could beryllium done. Fraudsters hacked the phones of the mates and their manager by impersonating a courier and sent messages to their contacts seeking fiscal help. Messages were sent from histrion Priyanka Upendra's WhatsApp account, and astatine slightest 4 people, including her lad and 2 of his friends, transferred wealth done a integer outgo exertion to a fig provided by the fraudsters.
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Realising the fraud, the mates reported the contented to the cyber helpline 1930, dispersed consciousness done their societal media accounts, and alerted the media. The mates besides filed a ailment astatine Sadashivanagar constabulary station. "We person taken up the lawsuit nether the Information Technology Act and person taken measures to frost wealth from the fraudster's account," a elder constabulary serviceman said. How their phones were hackedPriyanka had placed an bid done a Dubai-based online level and was expecting the delivery.
Around 10am, she received a telephone from an chartless number. The caller introduced himself arsenic an enforcement of the online level and told her that their transportation partners were incapable to present her bid arsenic they could not hint her address. "The caller said helium would nonstop maine a codification to benignant and dial. The transportation lad would interaction me, and the point would beryllium delivered astatine the earliest. I initially suspected, but successful chaos, I followed the instructions of the fraudster.
I enactment the codification *21*9279295167# and dialled. My iPhone got hacked. I thought it was hanging and instantly took Uppi's telephone and input the aforesaid codification and dialled. His telephone besides got hacked. I didn't person immoderate thought that our phones were being hacked," Priyanka said.
"Our unit member, Mahadeva, came to our location successful a fewer minutes. I borrowed his telephone and dialled the codification successful a bid not to miss the point delivery. His telephone besides got hacked.
All 3 telephone calls were forwarded to the fraudster's number. They besides installed WhatsApp connected our numbers and started sending messages to our contacts," she added.What Was successful the Message?‘Hi, needed immoderate assistance pls.' Once the respective interaction replied, the fraudster sent, ‘There volition beryllium 55k successful your relationship now? I volition instrumentality successful conscionable 2 hrs. My UPI is not moving properly. It's precise urgent now.' If idiosyncratic tried to scope Priyanka oregon Upendra, their numbers were not reachable.
"My son, his friends, and others, astatine slightest 4 people, transferred the wealth aft they tried reaching us. My lad thought his parent was successful immoderate request and transferred the wealth instantly done UPI," Upendra Rao said. "The fraudsters are asking for Rs 55,000 from each our contacts, promising to instrumentality it successful 2 hours. We person lodged a ailment with the police. They assured america they would drawback the fraudsters. We petition radical to beryllium alert of specified frauds and retrieve the money. Do not nonstop wealth to anyone without verifying," Priyanka said. "Yesterday, I saw idiosyncratic dubbed my dependable utilizing AI and discussed it with Uppi. The fraudsters whitethorn nonstop phishing links and make fake societal media accounts.
It was my mistake to dial the code."
