Mumbai Cyber Fraud: Andheri Woman Duped Of ₹99,000 After Downloading Fake Cleaning App 'Urban Club'

Mumbai: A woman from Mumbai’s Andheri West lost Rs 99,000 after being tricked into downloading a fake mobile application under the pretense of booking an office cleaning service. The victim, a diabetes educator by profession, was searching online for cleaning services when she encountered a platform called 'Urban Club,' believed to be a spoof of the popular service app 'UrbanClap' (now Urban Company).

₹9 UPI Payment Led To Huge Losses

Shortly after her search, she received a call from a man claiming to be a representative of the platform. He convinced her to download an app supposedly required to book the service. Once she installed the application, the fraudster asked her to make two payments, Rs 600 and Rs 9, to activate her booking. She followed the instructions and completed the Rs 9 payment via UPI.

However, this small transaction allowed the fraudsters to remotely access her device and banking details. The next day, while visiting her bank for an unrelated issue, the woman was shocked to learn that Rs 99,000 had been withdrawn from her account without her knowledge. According to a Lokmat Times report, she immediately filed a complaint at Oshiwara Police Station.

Police have registered a case against an unidentified accused under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Investigations are currently underway to trace the perpetrators behind the scam.

Remote Access Software Used In Fraud

Officials believe that the app the woman downloaded likely contained remote access software, allowing the fraudsters to mirror her phone activity and collect sensitive data such as OTPs and banking passwords. This method is increasingly used in online scams, where victims are baited with fake service providers or lucrative offers and then exploited via malicious apps.