Crime Branch Jammu Kashmir Issues Alert on Fake RTO Challan APK Scam | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Cyber Crime Investigation Center for Excellence, Crime Branch Jammu and Kashmir, has issued a public cyber advisory warning citizens against a rising scam involving fake RTO challan messages circulated through SMS and WhatsApp.

According to the advisory, cyber criminals are sending fraudulent messages claiming pending traffic challans and attaching malicious APK files or links such as “RTO Challan apk” or “e Challan App”. Once such files are downloaded and installed, the victim’s mobile phone gets compromised, allowing fraudsters to gain unauthorised access to the device, WhatsApp account and even sensitive financial information.

The Crime Branch said that after taking control of the victim’s phone, scammers often send fraudulent messages to contacts and may access internet-connected bank accounts, leading to financial losses.

Highlighting the modus operandi, the advisory states that scammers create urgency by threatening penalties or legal action, ask users to enable installation from unknown sources and sometimes trigger unsolicited OTPs to hijack accounts.

The Crime Branch has advised the public not to download or install any APK files received via SMS or WhatsApp and to avoid clicking on suspicious links from unknown senders posing as RTO or Traffic Police. Citizens have been urged to verify traffic challans only through official government portals or directly with the Traffic Police authorities.

The advisory further recommends installing applications only from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, enabling WhatsApp two-step verification and immediately informing banks in case of any suspicious activity.

Victims or those who notice such attempts have been asked to report immediately by calling the national cybercrime helpline number 1930 or by visiting the official portal cybercrime dot gov dot in.

The Crime Branch clarified that RTO, Traffic Police or any government department never send APK files for challan payments and all official challans are issued only through authorised government platforms.

“Stay Alert, Stay Safe, Stop Cyber Crime,” the advisory added. (KNC)