Mumbai: Cybercriminals are exploiting public anxiety around voter registration by posing as Election Commission officials and warning citizens that their details need urgent correction under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) framework. Using a new modus operandi, the scamsters are pressuring their victims into clicking unsolicited links or installing malicious APK files, which give fraudsters remote access to their phones and banking information. Senior citizens appear to be among the main targets, with several cases reported in Mumbai.In Deonar, a former college principal lost Rs 17 lakh after receiving a call from a fraudster who used the Election Commission logo as his display picture. The caller introduced himself as “Election Commissioner Chandrashekhar” and claimed that the victim’s father’s name was incorrectly listed in the electoral roll and needed immediate correction. He persuaded the victim to install an APK file, after which two apps disguised as voter verification tools appeared on the phone. When the victim attempted to pay a nominal correction fee of Rs 5, Rs 17 lakh was debited from his bank account.In another case, a 77-year-old retired doctor from Trombay lost Rs 6.7 lakh after filling out a form sent by someone claiming to be an ECI officer. The caller told him there was a mismatch between his name and his father’s name in the electoral records and asked him to submit personal details through an “SIR form.”Cybersecurity expert Nikhil Mahadeshwar said fraudsters create a false sense of urgency by telling victims they risk being removed from the electoral rolls. Once the victim panics, the scammer offers an instant fix through an app or APK download. This panic-driven response leads people to install compromised software, allowing criminals to steal money.In another personalised scam, a retired infrastructure company executive from Chembur was told to update her new residential address through a link as part of the SIR process. Since she had recently moved, she believed the call was genuine. After installing a malicious APK file, she lost Rs 11.2 lakh.
