Hyderabad: Man installs fake app for doctor appointment, loses Rs 4.5 lakh

Hyderabad: A doctor's appointment booked through a fake app turned costly for a 57-year-old man, who allegedly lost around Rs 4.5 lakh after attempting to consult a doctor through a mobile number he found online.

The phone number reportedly belonged to a fraudster who asked the man to install a mobile application to book a doctor’s appointment. Soon after installing it, the man became suspicious about the app’s authenticity and tried to uninstall it, but was unsuccessful. The next day, he lost his money to the fraudsters.

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News Meter reported that the incident took place on January 24, when the man from Riyasat Nagar called an unidentified person whose number he found online. After the call, the fraudster contacted him on WhatsApp and sent him an app file named ‘Doctors_Appointment.apk’ to book the appointment.

According to the man, the fraudster asked him to download and install the app, fill in his personal details, and pay a token amount of Rs 10 to confirm the appointment.

After installing the app, the man felt something was wrong. Although he tried to delete the app, he was unable to do so. He then disconnected his phone from Wi-Fi and switched it off.

The next morning, on January 25, when he checked his bank balance through the PhonePe app, he was shocked to find that Rs 4.5 lakh was missing. He noticed multiple unauthorised transactions and realised that his phone had been compromised.

He immediately reported the incident to the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930).

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that an unidentified person impersonated a doctor from Medanta - The Medicity hospital in Gurugram and attempted to lure people by offering a huge sum of money for kidney donation.

Also read- Woman impersonates Medanta doctor, promises Rs 3 crore for kidney donation; booked