Sandalwood Star Upendra and his wife Priyanka's phones were hacked. Following this, Upendra asked his fans and followers not to believe any messages or requests for money.
He posted a video saying "A message came to my wife Priyanka’s phone… we dialled from Priyanka’s phone and then from mine too. Both our phones got hacked,” His wife Priyanka also posted “My phone and Uprendra’s phones have been hacked. Some people are asking for money through UPI. We appeal to everyone not to send any money.”
Even before Upendra and his wife Priyanka blocked the mobiles, some people already tranferred money to their accounts. Once their phones were hacked, scamsters reportedly sent messages to the couple’s contacts, demanding Rs 22,000 through UPI transfers and promising to return the money within a few hours. Upendra went live on social media, warning fans, actors, producers, and directors not to respond to any messages or calls asking for money from his phone number.