Gurgaon: A cyber fraud racket, allegedly operating through Facebook advertisements impersonating well-known retail brands, was busted by Cyber Crime police station, Manesar. Five people have been arrested from Delhi’s New Ashok Nagar, police said.The case was registered after a Manesar resident alleged that he was cheated of Rs 56,650 while attempting to place an online order through a Facebook advertisement offering products at attractive discounts.According to ACP (cyber crime) Gaurav Fogat, the complainant clicked on the advertisement and was redirected to an order page, where he placed an order. He was subsequently contacted by the accused on the pretext of order verification and asked to download an APK file.“Once the APK file was installed, the accused gained access to the victim’s device and banking credentials. They then used the information to carry out unauthorised online purchases,” Fogat said.During the investigation, a team led by SHO inspector Manoj and ASI Vikas conducted technical analysis of the mobile numbers used in the fraud and traced the operation to a rented accommodation in A-Block, New Ashok Nagar, Delhi.Those arrested include Raj Kumar (27), a resident of Nalanda, Bihar; Prashant Kumar (28) from Moradabad, UP; Karan (19) and Sonu (24), both from Sheikhpura, Bihar; and Akhil Ahmad (28) from Bijnor, UP.Investigators found that the accused allegedly operated through Facebook advertisement pages, impersonating retail brands including Big Basket and D-Mart and luring customers with discounted offers. After users showed interest and placed orders, they were contacted for “verification” and persuaded to install malicious APK files.Police said the APK files enabled the accused to access victims’ banking and card details. The stolen information was then allegedly used to make online purchases, primarily of mobile phones. “The accused would provide delivery addresses near different landmarks along with their own contact numbers,” ACP Fogat said.During the raid, police seized 18 mobile phones and a tablet. The devices contained several recently activated SIM cards, which are being examined to identify other cyber fraud cases linked to the group.Police said the accused were allegedly working on salaries, and further investigation is underway to identify the individuals who organised and financed the operation. The recovered devices and digital records are also being analysed to ascertain the scale of the fraud and trace additional victims.
