Ahmedabad: As more consumers switch to piped natural gas (PNG) amid the alleged shortage of LPG cylinders, cyberfraudsters have devised a new scam by threatening customers with PNG disconnections and then sending malicious APK files to steal banking details.One such case surfaced in the city, where a 49-year-old purchase manager lost Rs 11.6 lakh after fraudsters posing as representatives of Adani Gas claimed that his PNG bill had not been updated and warned that his gas connection would be disconnected unless the dues were cleared immediately.According to a complaint lodged with Satellite police, the fraud took place on Sep 6. The victim received a WhatsApp message stating that his gas connection had become inactive and asking him to contact a helpline. When he called, the fraudster identified himself as a gas company representative and claimed that a bill payment was pending.The caller then sent a file titled “Gas Bill Update.apk” via WhatsApp and instructed the victim to install it and make a payment of Rs 10 to reactivate the account. When the payment repeatedly failed, the victim entered his card details. The fraudster later obtained his wife‘s mobile number and sent the same APK file to her phone.Soon afterwards, the victim began receiving transaction alerts. A total of Rs 11.6 lakh was allegedly siphoned off through transactions linked to his HDFC and AU Bank accounts. He reported the fraud to the cybercrime helpline 1930 before approaching the police.Cybercrime officials said the scam is a new version of the fake electricity bill fraud that has targeted consumers in the past. With PNG increasingly becoming an alternative fuel source for households facing LPG availability concerns, fraudsters are exploiting fears of service disruption to deceive consumers.In another similar case reported from Adani Shantigram, a domestic help was contacted over an alleged pending gas bill and sent an APK file for a payment of Rs 13. The process was later continued on her employer‘s phone, following which Rs 4.5 lakh was allegedly withdrawn from bank accounts.
