Don’t be an impulsive app clicker!

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Gagan receives a notification of a new message he has received, He clicks on it and the message reads

“Book train tickets easily. Download IRCTC app and travel conveniently. Follow the link http://bit.ly/3kgnbqc and download the app. We look forward to serve you.”

Gagan quickly clicks on the link and downloads the app.

When the app demands access/permissions of his phone settings, Gagan immediately gives access.

This was the blunder Gagan made. Without verifying, he clicked on an unknown link and downloaded a random application. Moreover, he also gave this application many permissions. But what consequences of this step did he end up bearing, let’s take a look.

Gagan is now sitting in despair and regrets over why he downloaded this app and gave it all of his phone’s permissions? The app has now drained his entire bank account

So you see how Gagan was entrapped in this fraud and ended up losing his hard earned money. But this is not a stand alone case. There has been a steep rise in the number of incidents where people have been defrauded by means of a fake IRCTC app. Amidst this, IRCTC also took to twitter to alert people regarding this.

Previously, in April 2023, IRCTC had warned its users of a fake android app and website, through which scammers were trying to obtain the personal details of users. This fake IRCTC app was called “’irctcconnect.apk”, and its link was being circulated via messaging apps such as whatsapp and telegram. In the messages and email sent by scammers, they termed it as the real website/app to book train tickets.

In view of rising fraud cases, IRCTC has asked its users to stay alert, not download any suspicious apps or visit a suspicious website. These apps and sites steal sensitive information of users, like net banking, UPI and credit/debit card details.

There are many fake websites running under the name of IRCTC. A 78-year old woman in Kerala became a victim of one such fraud, after she went on a fake IRCTC website to cancel her ticket. After this, a scammer posing as a railway authority called her and asked to download an app called “Rest Desk”. Once she downloaded the app and gave it all-access, Rs 4 lakh were drained out from her account.

How huge is this fraud racket?

Cases pertaining to frauds via fake applications and websites are seeing a steady rise in India. According to the Digital Risks Trend 2023 by security company Group-IB, in 2022, the number of scam websites in India shot up by 304% on an yearly basis. The report also highlighted that India is extremely vulnerable to such attacks.

So Where do you complain?

In case you are defrauded, immediately block your credit or debit card. Visit the bank and inform them of this incident. File a complaint at the local police station and with the cyber crime cell. Call the cyber crime helpline at 1930 and provide all details of the scam. Additionally, log onto cybercrime.gov.in and lodge a complaint. But remember, in most cases, people do not receive money even after promptly filing a complaint. This is because victims do not have solid evidence, and many times, it is difficult to trace these cases back.

In the end, we would simply reiterate what the experts said, in that staying alert is the only way to stay safe. IRCTC’s official app is called ‘IRCTC Rail Connect’, which can be downloaded from Google play store or Apple Play store. Always download applications from these trusted app stores. Also, remember that IRCTC never calls, mails or messages its users for information like PIN, OTP, password, credit/debit card details, net banking or UPI details. Do not click on any unknown link you’ve received via WhatsApp or messages. Do not be lured into any offers or discounts. If you pay heed to these tips, you will be saved from fraud. That’s why Money9 asks you to stay alert, stay safe.