Pleasure For Password? Govt Warns Of Porn Apps On Instagram, Facebook Ads Hijacking Phones & Stealing Bank Details

Meta took down dozens of Facebook and Instagram ads after India flagged a pattern of these ads using sexually explicit or porn content to lure users into downloading malicious Android apps capable of stealing banking credentials and draining bank accounts. The names of some of these apps are 'Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, and Vimo. Users are advised to not download any of these apps, as they could steal your OTPs and potentially empty your bank accounts.

Indian government advisory flags fake pornography apps

India's National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said it had observed a rise in financial fraud carried out through malicious Android apps masquerading as pornography apps and circulated via Facebook and Instagram ads. The advisory named apps operating under titles including Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, Vimo, Rivo, Nexo, Vixa and other similar variants. The ads redirected users to websites and apps displaying pornographic content, where they were prompted to download an APK file outside an official app store, the advisory said. Once installed, the apps requested permissions allowing them to install additional apps and misuse Android's accessibility features to gain deeper access to a device.

How the malware compromises a phone

According to the advisory, the malicious apps can secretly access information stored on a user's phone, capture one-time passwords and bank PINs, and transfer money out of accounts without the owner's knowledge. Some of the apps were also found to install a VPN component, allowing attackers to route all of a device's internet traffic through their own servers, a method that can expose data transmitted from the phone to further misuse.

Meta's response after the Indian govt sounded the alarm

Reuters said it found at least 39 such ads still active after the government's advisory was issued, many of them using sexually explicit video thumbnails to draw clicks. Meta reportedly removed all of the flagged ads as soon as they were flagged.

One ad directed users to a website promoting a video app promising hundreds of pornographic videos and round-the-clock content, requiring them to download a file named 'Movexa.apk' directly rather than through an official app store. Meta's advertising policies bar ads containing adult nudity and sexual activity, as well as ads for products or schemes using deceptive or misleading practices intended to scam users out of money.

Published on: Tuesday, September 01, 2026, 11:18 AM IST