Taking advantage of panic over LPG chaos amid the West Asia crisis, in just a month, cyber fraudsters duped over 100 Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) piped gas consumers and applicants of Rs 2.7 crore by deceiving
them into installing malicious APK files.
According to an FIR accessed by TOI, the victims include people aged between 26 and 83, including domestic help, teachers, lawyers, drivers, businessmen, senior citizens and even government employees.
How Fraudsters Targeted Victims
According to the report, victims received messages warning that their gas connection would be 'stopped tonight' due to non-payment or failure to update their previous month's bill. They were then asked to download an app via a link, which enabled remote access to their phones, allowing scammers to steal the crucial bank details. Not just this, in some cases, individuals who had applied for new gas connections also received fake calls followed by malicious app links.
Recent Fraud Cases
Meanwhile, in April, a man posing as an MGL employee was caught by residents in Mumbai’s Bhandup while allegedly trying to scam a household. The accused, who failed to produce a valid ID, was handed over to the police.
In another case, a 64-year-old Kurla resident was targeted when fraudsters sent him a fake APK file after warning that his gas connection would be blocked. After he downloaded the file, Rs 2.35 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account.
In March, cybercriminals targeted a 52-year-old housekeeping businessman from Ghatkopar West. The fraudsters sent him a WhatsApp notice claiming his gas bill was not updated and warned that his gas connection would be disconnected. After he clicked on a link shared by them, the accused siphoned off Rs 4.84 lakh from his bank account.
Similarly, an assistant manager from Kurla was looted of Rs 2.75 lakh while another resident from Ghatkopar was cheated of Rs 3.6 lakh after a caller identifying himself as Divesh Sharma from MGL sent an APK file for bill updation.
While a 70-year-old Kalachowki resident received a WhatsApp message claiming that his gas bill was pending, along with an APK file named “MGL-Gas-Bill-Update.” After installing the file, his phone was hacked, and Rs 6.90 lakh was stolen from his account.
MGL Urges Residents To Be Cautious
MGL urged residents to stay alert, warning that scammers often pose as trusted service providers through fake links, APK downloads, and WhatsApp or SMS messages.
The company advised people to protect themselves by staying informed and verifying details before taking any action. It also clarified that MGL will never ask for OTPs, bank details, or passwords through messages or calls.
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