Kannada actor Upendra, family duped of ₹5 lakh by cybercriminals
Kannada actor Upendra and his wife Priyanka got caught up in a cyber scam after Priyanka received a fake delivery call on September 15, 2024.
She was tricked into entering a code with special characters, which let hackers take over her phone.
Family members sent ₹1.5-2 lakh each
The scammers then accessed Upendra's and their manager's phones using the same trick.
They set up WhatsApp on all three devices and messaged contacts—including family—asking for ₹55,000 each, stating, "I will return in just 2 hours."
Four people, including their son Ayush, sent about ₹1.5-2 lakh before the family realized what was happening.
Police are investigating the case
Once they figured out they'd been hacked, Upendra and Priyanka called the cyber helpline (1930), warned followers online, and filed a police complaint.
Police are investigating the case as part of a bigger cybercrime probe in Bengaluru and have started working to freeze the scammer's accounts.