India, Sept. 11 -- A routine notification about your gas bill might seem harmless, but for many in Lucknow, it has become a gateway to financial disaster. Cyber fraudsters are weaponizing household utility fears to carry out a series of high-stakes digital heists, leaving victims with emptied accounts and urgent questions.

Cyber fraudsters in Lucknow are posing as Green Gas officials, warning consumers that their connections will be disconnected unless their "meter" or bill is updated, and then sending an APK file on WhatsApp to supposedly complete the process.

"In four cases flagged by cybercrime authorities, victims have collectively lost around Rs.46.48 lakh, with one 67-year-old man losing Rs.31.84 lakh from three bank accounts in 2...