Fraud Alert & Request for Guidance

I would like to share a recent fraud incident for awareness purposes.

Today, my father-in-law was browsing Facebook when he came across an advertisement for a live TV application named DF Live - TV. He clicked on the ad and downloaded the app. After installation, he opened it but did not grant permission to access files or data. Since he was unable to operate the app, he immediately uninstalled it.

Shortly afterward, his phone displayed a message stating “Installing system update”, and the device began to overheat. Assuming it was a routine software update, he did not take immediate action. However, the update notification continued to appear repeatedly for 2-3 hours.

He then received a pop-up notification on his SIM indicating that PKR 1,000,000 had been withdrawn from his HBL account. When he checked the SMS application, no such message was visible. At that point, he realized his phone had likely been compromised, and someone was transferring funds from his HBL account while deleting the transaction alerts.

He subsequently received another notification for a second withdrawal of PKR 1,000,000. During this time, his phone became unresponsive and he was unable to operate it. He immediately visited the HBL branch, where the branch manager confirmed that two transfers of PKR 1,000,000 each had been executed from his account. The account was blocked, and a formal complaint was registered with HBL. A complaint will also be filed with the FIA Cyber Crime Wing.

After restarting the phone, he regained access. However, whenever the device is switched on, a prompt from the same application continuously requests file access. While the app is not visible on the home screen, it appears under Settings > Applications. The phone has now been switched off until the matter is reported to FIA.

This message is being shared for public awareness. If anyone has experienced a similar fraud or has knowledge of the recovery process, please advise on the possibility of recovering the PKR 2 million.

Comments if you ever had a scam