A bizarre incident took place in Delhi, where a group of thieves returned an Android phone to its owner after snatching it from him, thinking it was an iPhone. The owner, who is a software engineer, shared his story on social media and warned others about the dangers of phone snatching and phishing.
The owner, who goes by the name of Ankit, said that he was waiting for a cab near a metro station in Delhi, when four men on two bikes approached him and snatched his phone from his hand. He tried to chase them, but they were too fast for him. He then went to the nearest police station and filed a complaint.
He also tried to track his phone using the Find My Device app on his laptop, but it showed that the phone was offline. He assumed that the thieves had switched off the phone or removed the SIM card. He then put his phone in the lost mode, which locks the phone and displays a message on the screen with a contact number.
How the thieves tried to phish him
Ankit said that after a few hours, he received a text message on his alternate number, claiming to be from Google. The message said that his lost phone had been found and asked him to click on a link to verify his identity and get the location of his phone.
Ankit, who is a software engineer, realized that this was a phishing attempt and did not click on the link. He said that the link was a fake Google login page, which would have asked him to enter his email and password, and then redirected him to a fake map showing a random location.
He said that the thieves were trying to get access to his Google account, which was linked to his phone and had his personal and financial information. He warned others not to fall for such scams and always check the URL and sender of the messages.
How the phone was returned
Ankit said that the next day, he received another text message from the same number, saying that the thieves had mistaken his phone for an iPhone and did not want it. They asked him to come to a location and collect his phone.
Ankit was skeptical, but he decided to go to the location with a friend and some policemen. He said that he found his phone lying on the ground, with a note saying “We don’t want this”. He said that his phone was intact and working, except for some scratches on the screen.
He said that he was surprised and relieved to get his phone back, but he also felt angry and violated. He said that he had changed all his passwords and enabled two-factor authentication on his accounts. He also thanked the police for their help and cooperation.
He said that he wanted to share his story to raise awareness about the menace of phone snatching and phishing in Delhi. He said that he hoped that the authorities would take strict action against the culprits and prevent such incidents from happening again.