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Keralam Police Warn Public: Fake Hospital Apps Lead to Financial Fraud
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News18•20-09-2026, 22:30
Keralam Police Warn Public: Fake Hospital Apps Lead to Financial Fraud
- •Keralam Police issued a warning about a new financial fraud method using fake mobile apps targeting individuals seeking hospital appointments.
- •Fraudsters pose as hospital staff, sending malicious app files via WhatsApp after victims contact fake numbers found on Google.
- •Installing these apps compromises the user's phone, allowing access to confidential information, OTPs, and potentially misusing UPI services like PhonePe and Google Pay.
- •The police advise verifying contact details through official hospital websites, avoiding app installations from WhatsApp, and only downloading from trusted sources like Google Play Store.
- •Victims of financial fraud should immediately contact cyber helpline 1930 or report via http://www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Key Questions Answered
Fraudsters display fake phone numbers in Google search results and, when contacted, pose as hospital staff to send malicious mobile app files via WhatsApp disguised as hospital appointment booking applications.
The user's phone is compromised, granting fraudsters access to confidential information like OTPs, tampering with UPI services, misusing apps like PhonePe and Google Pay, and enabling unauthorized financial transactions.
Victims should immediately file a complaint by calling the cyber helpline number 1930 or by visiting the national cybercrime reporting portal at http://www.cybercrime.gov.in.