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Scam explainer

Malicious APK scam on WhatsApp also called RTO e-challan APK scam, Electricity bill APK scam, Bank reward points APK, PM Kisan APK scam

WhatsApp messages about a traffic challan, unpaid electricity bill or bank reward points carry an Android app (APK) that steals OTPs and banking details and spreads to your contacts.

Conceptual illustration: An anonymous smartphone beside a glass downloadable file icon labeled only APK, with a red threat crack and a lime protective barrier. Headline: APK FILE. HIDDEN THREAT.

AI-generated illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.

How it works

  1. You receive a WhatsApp message, often forwarded from a known contact's hacked account, about an e-challan, an electricity disconnection, PM-Kisan or expiring bank reward points.
  2. The message includes an .apk file or link and asks you to install it to pay or claim.
  3. The app asks for SMS, notification or accessibility permissions, then shows forms for Aadhaar, PAN, card details or UPI PIN.
  4. It quietly reads your OTPs, lets fraudsters make transactions, and may take over your WhatsApp to send itself to your contacts.

Red flags

  • Any .apk file sent over WhatsApp or SMS, even from someone you know.
  • A challan, bill or reward that you are told to pay or claim through an app instead of the official website.
  • An app asking for SMS, notification or accessibility access.
  • Friends saying they received the same file from your number.

What to do

  • Do not install apps from links or files; verify challans on the official Parivahan e-challan site and bills on your provider's own app or site.
  • If you installed one, switch on flight mode, uninstall the app, and call your bank to block cards, UPI and net banking.
  • Call 1930 and file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in if any money was taken.
  • Change banking passwords and UPI PIN from a clean device, and re-secure your WhatsApp with two-step verification.
  • Warn your contacts not to open files sent from your number.

Step-by-step guideLost money in a UPI fraud? What to do in the first hour, and how to complain on 1930

The numbers

A December 2025 CYFIRMA analysis described a WhatsApp-spread 'RTO e-Challan' APK that intercepts OTPs and harvests Aadhaar, PAN, card and UPI PIN details. No official national loss figure exists for APK fraud.

Desk coverage

Sources

Other scamsDigital arrest scamInvestment and trading scamTask and part-time job scamUPI, QR code and collect-request fraudSextortion video call scamFake customer care number scam