Broadband and Fibre Installation Engineer Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

A fake app can be installed from a link, from a file sent on chat or even from a lookalike listing. Once on your phone it can ask for powerful permissions. Broadband and Fibre Installation Engineer Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller offers a cheap broadband or fibre plan or says your router needs an upgrade, asks for an advance or remote access, then drains your account.

What broadband and fibre installation engineer scam looks like through an app

• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.
• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.
• An app outside the official store that asks for many permissions.

The scammer finds you through an ad, a social media post or a call pretending to be from your broadband provider. They know typical plan names and quote attractive prices. They say an engineer will visit but first need a small advance or a copy of your ID for the connection form. The urgency is that the discounted plan or free installation ends today.

Red flags to check on the app

• A cheap plan is offered only for today.
• An advance is requested through a QR code or personal UPI.
• You are asked to send an Aadhaar photo through chat.
• The caller wants you to install a support app.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.
• It asks for accessibility, screen overlay, SMS or contacts without a clear reason.

What to do

1. Do not pay an advance or scan a QR code from a caller.
2. Contact your provider through its official app, store or the number on your bill.
3. Do not send ID photos before a named, verified visit.
4. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.
5. Change the passwords of your bank and email from a clean device if the app had access.
6. Run a phone scan (Safeavio Sentinel lists risky apps and settings).

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 at once if money was taken, and give the payment details.
2. Ask your bank through the number on your card to block the payment app and cards if you shared access.
3. Uninstall any support app and change passwords from a clean device.
4. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in and watch for misuse of your ID copy.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's QR check lets you scan a code and see where it goes before paying or opening it, which helps with the advance step. The scam check reads a message you paste and notes pressure, an advance demand and an ID request. The phone scan lists installed apps and permissions, including remote-support style apps. It cannot confirm a provider's offers, so verify through the provider's official app or store.

Full guide: Broadband and Fibre Installation Engineer Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp.

Questions