Visakhapatnam: Cyber fraudsters duped more than 10 people of over Rs 16 lakh by posing as officials offering retirement benefits and pension cards. Police said the criminals are continuously devising new methods to target retired and elderly individuals.In one case, a retired Central govt employee in Vizag received a call from a person claiming to be from her former department. The caller told her that some pending retirement benefits were being processed and that an amount would be credited to her bank account.Trusting the caller, the woman shared her bank account details, Aadhaar, and PAN numbers. She later received OTPs and disclosed them to the fraudster. She was also sent a link and asked to click it to receive the remaining benefits.After she clicked the link, the fraudsters gained access to her mobile phone and siphoned off over ₹1.25 lakh from her account.Similarly, several other retirees across Vizag lost between ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh each after clicking malicious links sent by fraudsters. Police said more than ten victims collectively lost over ₹15 lakh after installing APK files sent to them under the pretext of claiming benefits.In another modus operandi, some elderly people came across online advertisements for pension cards. After clicking the links, they were directed to application forms, which they filled out. They later received calls from fraudsters posing as bank officials, who asked them to download certain “certificates”.Once the app was installed, OTPs were generated and shared with the callers, leading to unauthorised transactions from their bank accounts.Experts said cybercriminals modify Android Package Kit (APK) files to embed malware and send them through messages that mimic official communication. Fraudsters often convert webpages into apps and alter the code to gain access to users’ devices.Police warned that such scams are carried out under various pretexts, including KYC updates, retirement benefits, online order refunds, fake courier delivery alerts (India Post, FedEx), Aadhaar updates, new credit cards, and stock trading applications.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Bakrid wishes, messages and eid 2026