Overview
- Priyanka received a delivery-related message instructing her to dial a special-character code, after which both her and Upendra’s phones were compromised.
- Hackers then messaged the couple’s contacts on WhatsApp, citing an urgent need for money and promising repayment within hours, and some acquaintances transferred funds.
- Upendra and Priyanka went live on social media to warn followers not to respond to requests from their numbers and urged people to ignore any such messages.
- A complaint was filed at Sadashivanagar police station; a case under the IT Act has been registered and authorities said efforts to freeze the fraudsters’ accounts are underway.
- The couple contacted the 1930 cyber helpline, and officials advise users not to dial unknown codes or engage with suspicious calls and to report incidents immediately.