Gwalior police warn Diwali greeting APKs and fake offer links can give remote access to phones and empty bank accounts. Do not install APKs from chats.
Source: jankalyanmail.com · published
Jan Kalyan Mail reported on 8 November 2026 that police in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, issued an advisory warning that cyber fraudsters are exploiting Diwali shopping. According to the report, fraudsters send APK (Android Package Kit) files disguised as festive offers and greeting messages; installing them can give the scammers remote access to the phone, letting them hack it and withdraw money from bank accounts and payment wallets. The report says one local resident lost Rs 13,000 three days earlier.
Fraudsters also send links via messages, email and social media promising heavy discounts, free gifts, lucky draws and cashback that open fake websites, and pose as offering credit-limit increases or instant loans to obtain OTPs, PINs and CVVs. Greeting-card APKs are especially effective during festivals because people expect well-wishes and may install a file without checking. Once installed, a malicious app can read SMS messages including bank OTPs, overlay fake screens on banking apps or send further messages from the phone.
DSP Sanjeev Nayan Sharma of the State Cyber Cell advised people not to download or install unknown APK files received as greeting cards on WhatsApp or other platforms and not to share OTPs, UPI PINs, passwords or bank details. Genuine greeting cards are images or videos, not Android installers. Banks and payment apps never ask you to install a separate APK from a chat to receive a gift or discount.
Anyone who installed such a file should switch the phone to airplane mode, uninstall the app, remove any accessibility or device-administrator permissions, change banking and UPI PINs from another device, and report the fraud to 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in. Tell contacts not to open similar greeting files if they may have been sent from your phone.
Jan Kalyan Mail report, 8 November 2026: https://jankalyanmail.com/2026/11/08/gwalior-police-issues-warning-cyber-fraud-via-apk-files-on-the-rise-during-the-festive-season-stay-alert/
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