Don’t click links in ‘unpaid power bill’ fake message

Fraudsters keep changing the pattern of digital forgery. Even educated people fall victim to this through refund/marriage bureau/job scams, fake bill payment or fake customer care fraud

CASE I Santosh received a message that his power connection would be snapped, if he doesn’t pay his bill immediately. When he called back on the number, he was engaged in a conversation and asked to download an app. When he did this, he was asked to share an OTP, following which his account was cleaned up by cyber thugs.

According to reports, over 400 cases of power consumers being duped online have been reported during the last three years. (Pic for representation)

CASE 2 Similarly, Amit Gupta had to travel to Lucknow from Mumbai by air on January 9. But the flight was cancelled. Amit called up customer care to enquire about the refund. He got a call from an unidentified number. The caller asked him to download Anydesk app on his phone to get the refund. He was then asked to respond to some queries. Following this, the money was deducted from his account. He has lodged a complaint with the police and investigation is on.

LUCKNOW Consumers are often invited to click on links sent by brands, companies and strangers. Most of these are secure because they come from trusted sources. But sometimes, cyber thugs impersonate trustworthy sources to get you to click on a link (or download an app), which contains malware.

According to cyber experts, fraudsters keep on changing the pattern of digital forgery every month. Even educated people fall victim to this through refund/marriage bureau/job scams, fake bill payment or fake customer care fraud.

UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadhesh Kumar Varma said the UPPCL had lodged an FIR with the Hazratganj police station last year in May against a gang that preys on power consumers through fake calls, asking them to pay pending bills.

“These thugs are experts in sending messages to consumers via different numbers. The messages ask consumers to pay their pending bills or their connection would be snapped. When anyone calls up on the number, the receiver extracts personal/crucial data from the consumer. And the trap is laid. We keep on receiving such complaints regularly,” he said.

Varma said, “Last year, UPPCL officials took up the matter with additional DGP (cybercrime) but the number of frauds has not come down.”

LESA chief engineer Sanjay Jain said, “Complaints regarding fraud messages about pending bills keep coming to us and we request consumers to report it to the police as the UPPCL never sends such messages. People are requested to ignore any unsolicited message received by them via any 10-digit number. Any official communication to the consumers is only sent on behalf of the UPPCLT and UPPCLA.”

He added, “Fraudsters will continue to come up with more creative ways to rob money from your account, but with a bit of awareness, such frauds could be stopped.”

According to reports, over 400 cases of power consumers being duped online have been reported during the last three years.

LMC’s IT expert Varun Bahuguna said, “Fraudsters will call you posing as any company/bank employee. They use various methods to get remote access to your phone. It could either be in the form of a lucrative offer of getting any refund or you are offered money to install an app for safety. They can also ask you to initiate online payment for goods purchased. The moment you install the app, you will be asked to share the code for the screen-sharing app. The catch is that they will hack your phone once you provide the code. All information on your phone, including bank account number is exposed to them.”

He said with the rise in cybercrime, it is necessary for various departments to improve their security systems and educate consumers about possible online frauds. “The only solution is to curb these crimes by increasing consumer awareness. At a time when different departments are upgrading security infrastructure, consumers also need to do their bit - that is being vigilant over such traps,” added the expert.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

*Check the authenticity of number from the electricity department’s official website.

*Don’t download any remote access apps on the request of a stranger.

*Electricity department doesn’t ask user to download any such applications.

*Dont’ save any card details on your mobile phone.