Kannada actor and director Upendra and his wife Priyanka Upendra recently fell victim to a sophisticated phone hacking scam. The incident, which occurred on Monday, September 15, 2025, has prompted the actor to alert the public and his contacts against falling for fraudulent requests.
The cyber fraud began when Priyanka received a call from an unknown number regarding an online order she had placed. The caller, claiming to be a delivery person, stated that they were having trouble locating her address. They instructed her to send a specific code containing special characters and numbers to facilitate the delivery. Unknowingly, by following these instructions, Priyanka's phone was hacked.
Shortly after, Priyanka used Upendra's phone to send a message, following the same instructions from the caller, which resulted in his phone also being compromised. With access to their phones, the hackers began sending messages to their contacts via WhatsApp, impersonating them and requesting urgent financial assistance. The messages claimed that Priyanka's UPI was not working and requested money, promising to return it within two hours.
According to reports, some of Upendra and Priyanka's acquaintances transferred money to the fraudsters, with approximately Rs 1.6 lac being fraudulently extracted from three of Priyanka's friends. The friends, identified as Gayathri, Chetana, and Ayush, were misled by the fake messages. Upendra mentioned that some people grew suspicious when the hacker avoided calls, but unfortunately, a few believed the messages and sent money. Initial reports suggested the scamsters demanded Rs 22,000. However, it was later revealed that the amount extracted from friends totaled Rs 1.6 lac. Some reports indicate that the messages sent from the hacked phones requested Rs 55,000.
Following the incident, Upendra and Priyanka took to social media to warn their fans and contacts about the scam. In a video message, Upendra urged people not to respond to any messages or calls from their phone numbers asking for money. Priyanka also shared a video on her Instagram, alerting her fans and contacts, while the couple was on their way to file a police complaint.
The couple has registered a complaint at the Sadashivanagar police station, and Priyanka has been in contact with Mumbai Cyber Crime authorities to aid in the investigation. Authorities are taking steps to track the fraudsters and freeze the bank accounts used in the scam.
Upendra and Priyanka have cautioned the public about the increasing threat of cyber scams. They advised people not to dial unknown codes or click on suspicious links and to always verify requests for money by calling the person directly. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of being vigilant and cautious when receiving suspicious calls or messages, especially those requesting financial assistance.
This incident echoes similar recent cybercrimes targeting celebrities, including Lakshmi Manchu and Unni Mukundan, highlighting the vulnerability of public figures to such attacks.
