Cash Deposit Machine Fake Receipt 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. Cash Deposit Machine Fake Receipt Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A buyer shows a cash-deposit receipt or screenshot as proof of payment, but the money never reached your account. The slip is fake or edited.

What cash deposit machine fake receipt 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 agrees to buy something and says that they prefer to pay in cash at a deposit machine because their app is not working. They ask you for your account number and IFSC. Some deposit a tiny amount, such as Rs 100, in the right account so that you see a real credit, and then send a fake slip for a much bigger amount.

Red flags to check on the app

• A buyer pays cash by deposit and sends only a slip.
• The credit has not appeared in your own account.
• You are asked to hand over goods before the credit.
• A friend or driver will collect the goods immediately.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.

What to do

1. Check your own bank or passbook for the credit before delivering anything.
2. Do not treat a slip, photo or video as proof of payment.
3. Ask your bank how long a cash deposit takes to show.
4. Run a phone scan (Safeavio Sentinel lists risky apps and settings).
5. Call your bank, and call 1930 if money moved.
6. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).

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. If goods were handed over, keep the details of the person who collected them and any shop camera footage.
2. Call 1930 if you sent money back and give the transaction details.
3. Tell your bank on the number printed on your passbook and ask them to check the deposit.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the slip, chat and buyer details.

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

Safeavio's Money Shield checklist reminds you to verify before you pay or hand over goods and to confirm any credit in your own account. The scam check can review the buyer's chat text if you paste it. Safeavio cannot tell whether a deposit slip is genuine, so always rely on your own bank statement. Check your statement. Check twice. Do not rush.

Full guide: Cash Deposit Machine Fake Receipt Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, social media, phone call.

Questions