E-Paper
Ludhiana cyber cell warns of fake oximeter apps
Amid the ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases, links for downloading such applications are doing the rounds on various social networking sites. The police have received some complaints regarding such fraud and are investigating the same.
If you happen to receive a message asking you to download an app from the Google Play Store that can check your blood oxygen level using your phone, then beware! It’s most likely a phishing attack to hijack your biometric as well other confidential data from your cellphone.
The police have warned users not to install fake oximeter mobile applications from any links they may have received over email, SMS or social media. According to them, cyber criminals are employing such means to steal personal data and passwords, which can be misused in stealing cash from bank accounts and blackmailing.
Amid the ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases, links for downloading such applications are doing the rounds on various social networking sites.
Cyber cell-1 in-charge inspector Pawan Kumar said that they found such dubious apps and consulted medical experts about their authenticity. The experts claimed that phones cannot measure blood oxygen levels as they have no physical SpO2 blood oxygen sensor.
Kumar said that after downloading such apps, the users are asked to put their finger on the rear camera of their phone. “These apps steal biometric details such as fingerprints. Some applications also claim to measure body temperature, heartbeats and even blood pressure to trap the users,” he added.
“Cyber criminals have also launched other phishing applications such as pink WhatsApp to defraud the users. We advise all not to download such apps,” he said.
Perils of video chat with strangers
Sub-inspector Jatinder Singh, in-charge of cyber cell-2, said that fraudsters are trapping people through video calls too.
“Cyber criminals, including women, honey trap phone users by sending them friend requests and ask them to video chat with them. The fraudsters then record these videos, morph them, and blackmail people to extort money from them,” he said.
The police have received some complaints regarding such fraud and are investigating the same.
