COIMBATORE: The cybercrime cell of the Coimbatore city police has registered more than 200 cases connected to APK link scams during the first five months of the year. Cyber offences aimed at mobile users via harmful application package (APK) links are increasing across Tamil Nadu. According to cybercrime police, while technological progress has delivered many advantages, cybercriminals continue to misuse it to develop advanced scam methods. Frequently, even before people become aware of one type of fraud, scammers introduce more complicated approaches to trick unsuspecting victims.Referring to a recent case, the official said a Coimbatore resident received a harmful link on their iPhone. As iOS stopped the APK file from opening, the person sent the link to an Android phone and opened it there. As a result, the victim lost Rs 4.5 lakh from their bank account.Fake APK links are mainly spread through WhatsApp, SMS and Telegram. To look genuine and reliable, these links are presented as urgent or appealing alerts, such as traffic e-challan, payments, mandatory KYC updates, bank account verifications, pending courier deliveries, notifications of lottery or prize wins and others.Once a user taps the link and installs the APK file, hackers can obtain full remote access and control of the victim’s mobile device. “Through these malicious links, scammers steal sensitive personal data, banking details, OTPs and UPI credentials. In many cases, unauthorized financial transactions take place without the account holder’s immediate knowledge.”Officials have advised the public not to open unverified links and to remove suspicious messages at once. They recommend downloading apps only from trusted sources such as the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and avoiding installations through shared links or third-party websites.
