Cybersecurity Alert! WhatsApp link for watching ‘The Kashmir Files’ for FREE could empty your bank account

Mangaluru: A new kind of malware is being circulated on mobile phones that masquerades itself as a link for viewing the immensely popular film “The Kashmir Files” for free, cyber security experts warned. Once the malware sneaks into the phones, it starts stealing details of the bank account and siphons off money from the account without anyone’s knowledge.

Cyber frauds use novel ways to trick people into downloading the virus or malware. Now they have started targetting people riding on the popularity of the movie depicting the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s.

Phone users started getting messages duly asking them to click the link provided in the message for viewing the film for free. When the link is clicked, a trojan (malware) gets downloaded onto the phone without the knowledge of the phone user. Once installed, the malware starts recording banking details linked to the mobile number, and money is withdrawn from the bank account. As the phone itself is compromised, the fraudsters can also steal the OTP sent by the bank for verification, cyber experts said.

Such incidents have been reported in large numbers from North India, said Dr. Anant Prabhu G, a cyber security expert. Some in Manglauru have also been the victims of this scam, he said.

Dr. Prabhu cautioned the public not to click such suspicious links received on the phone, even if the message is sent by a person familiar to them.