Kozhikode: The ‘Parivahan App scam’ is one that anyone who owns a vehicle can encounter at any given point. In the past one month, 1832 people sought the help of cyber police after falling victim to this scam. There are others who reported the fraud to the police without filing a complaint. Educated and retired officers are caught in this trap which is a bane for both the police and the motor vehicles department (MVD).

The scam
The scam begins with the receipt of a message via SMS or WhatsApp. The message states that your vehicle has been booked for violating speeding norms. The message in the name of MVD will mention the vehicle's registration number, the date of violation and the ticket number issued by the department against the violation. The message ends with the words, ‘To know more and view evidence click on the link given below. The link is actually an application file (.apk) that paves way for the scam. 

Following such forwarded links instead of downloading the official Parivahan app from Google Play store or Iphone App Store leads to such traps, an official of the Kozhikode Cyber Sub-division clarified.

When these links are downloaded on the mobile, merely two ‘OK’s given by the owner will allow the fraudsters to access the mobile phone and all its applications remotely through a remote access software. They then use this to copy OTPs and withdraw money from the owner's account.

If you fall prey to any form of online financial fraud, call ‘1930’ and register a complaint. Complaints should be filed within one hour of the incident. A complaint can also be registered through the website cybercrime.gov.in.