APK Fraud: A Threat to Indian Cybercrime

• APK fraud is a rapidly growing cybercrime threat in India, exploiting public trust in digital systems.

• The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal has reported 12,47,393 cases of APK fraud in the last six months.

• A 900% increase in cyber crimes between 2021 and 2025 has been reported.

• Between January and July 2025, 2,188 such cases were reported, leading to losses of ₹779.06 crore.

• 20 to 30 such cases are reported daily, with daily financial losses between ₹10 and ₹15 lakh.

• High-stake scams like investment and business can result in losses up to ₹30 to ₹40 lakh.

The Fraud Process

• APK files on Android devices are used to install apps, which can be exploited by fraudsters to spread malware.

• Fraudsters build or source these apps to mimic the appearance and language of official portals.

• Once downloaded, the app seeks multiple permissions, harvests data in real-time, and transmits it in encrypted bits to external servers operated by fraudsters.

Who Operates these Apps?

• 60 to 70% of malicious APKs used in India are developed locally by tech-savvy masterminds in Delhi NCR, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Jamtara, and parts of Jharkhand.

• The remaining 30-40% originate internationally, with traces leading to the U.S., U.K., and China.

User Targeting

• Cyber fraudsters carry out extensive digital surveillance before striking.

• High-earning professionals are often targeted, crafting convincing, urgent messages to manipulate trust and prompt action.

Investigation Approach

• Cyber forensics teams decrypt fraudulent apps to trace server origins or identify developer signatures.

• Most fraudulent apps reveal only the server addresses or general code structures.

• Even when financial trails are followed, they usually end in mule accounts, used to receive stolen funds, which are quickly converted into cryptocurrency.

Indian Cybercrime APK Threat is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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