The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a cyber fraud warning about a new scam in which malicious apps promoted through pornographic advertisements can give cybercriminals extensive control over a victim’s smartphone and potentially put their financial accounts at risk.
The warning was issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which said such apps are being advertised on platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Users are lured with promises of pornographic content and then directed to download APK files from sources outside official app stores.
The advisory specifically names apps such as Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, Vimo, Rivo, Nexo and Vixa as potentially dangerous.
Once installed, these apps can ask users to grant Accessibility Permission. This permission is normally intended to assist people with disabilities, but when given to a malicious application, it can provide attackers with extensive access to a device and allow the malware to operate in the background.
With such access, cybercriminals may be able to monitor activity, interfere with certain device functions and access sensitive information without the user’s knowledge.
The threat can go beyond stealing personal data. According to the advisory, some of these malicious applications can also install or misuse VPN services, potentially routing the user’s internet traffic through infrastructure controlled by attackers. This could expose browsing activity and other sensitive information while creating further opportunities for surveillance and data theft.
Compromised devices can also put users’ financial security at risk. Malware with extensive device access may be used to facilitate unauthorised transactions or interfere with banking and digital payment activity.
The scam relies heavily on social engineering. Instead of breaking into a device directly, criminals use enticing advertisements and curiosity-driven content to persuade users to install the malicious software themselves.
The MHA-I4C has advised users to avoid downloading APK files from unknown websites or links and to install applications only from trusted, official sources. Users should also be extremely cautious before granting Accessibility Permission to unfamiliar apps and should regularly check their phones for applications they do not recognise.
Anyone who suspects that they have fallen victim to cyber fraud should immediately contact the national cybercrime helpline at 1930 or report the incident through cybercrime.gov.in.
The warning highlights how a seemingly harmless app download can potentially give cybercriminals access to a much wider range of personal, digital and financial information.
