Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has warned residents about a WhatsApp bank fraud in which scammers ask people to reply “NO” to a message about an alleged debit. The warning says the scam does not depend on victims sharing an OTP or clicking a link.
Fraudsters reportedly send a message from an unknown or international number claiming that money has been debited from the recipient’s bank account. A follow-up message asks the person to reply “NO” if they did not make the transaction.
Police have warned that replying may expose a victim’s phone to malicious software and give criminals access to it. The warning describes the method as an “auto execution file attack”. A chartered accountant recently lost lakhs of rupees in a case linked to this scam, Sajjanar said.
Residents should not reply to WhatsApp messages about bank transactions from unknown numbers, including with “YES” or “NO”. They should block the sender and delete the message, rather than follow instructions in it.
If a debit alert causes concern, customers should check their account through their bank’s official mobile app or net-banking service. They can also call the official customer-care number printed on their passbook or the back of their bank card. Banks do not ask customers to confirm transactions by replying “YES” or “NO” on WhatsApp.
Anyone who loses money should call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 immediately or file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in. The warning advises reporting the fraud within the first hour to improve the chance of stopping the transfer and freezing the funds.
