Census officials warn against OTP, bank detail fraud as house listing begins in Bihar

Bihar warns residents against sharing sensitive info with fraudsters posing as census enumerators amid Census 2027; a helpline is available for complaints.

PATNA Census authorities in Bihar on Saturday issued a public advisory cautioning residents against sharing OTPs, PAN, Aadhaar or bank details with anyone posing as an enumerator, following complaints of cyber fraud during the ongoing Census 2027 exercise.

An enumerator staff marks a house with Patna DM Tyagrajan SM during the first phase of Census 2027, at Danapur Ramji Chak, in Patna, Saturday (SANTOSH KUMAR/HT)

The warning comes as the month-long house listing operation under phase I of Census 2027 commenced across the state on Saturday. Officials said fraudsters had attempted to exploit the recently concluded self-enumeration drive (April 17–May 1) by sending links to mobile phones and seeking sensitive information to cheat citizens.

“No enumerator is supposed to ask for OTP, PAN, Aadhaar or bank details from anyone. Please be cautious not to share such sensitive information,” said Ranjita, director of Bihar census directorate. She urged the citizens to cooperate with enumerators and provide accurate information, while remaining vigilant against cyber fraud.

For queries or complaints, a toll-free helpline (1855) has been made available, she added. Sharing progress details, the director said Bihar recorded nearly 47 lakh (46,82,284) successful self-enumerations by the deadline, reflecting strong public participation in the national exercise.

From Saturday, enumerators and supervisors started physical verification of house listing blocks based on digital boundaries created on the CMMS portal. Any discrepancies will be rectified through supervisory channels before assigning house numbers. Subsequently, data on households, assets and amenities will be collected using the HLO mobile application.