Posing as people in power, they contact gullibles and ask them to settle pending bills by downloading apps and siphoning off funds.
Posted on – 10:58 PM, Fri – 13 January 23
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Hyderabad: After defrauding funds through various modus operandi, online scammers are now turning their attention to electricity bills. Recent cases in the city have shown scammers posing as utility employees to contact customers and trick them into paying outstanding bills or facing power outages.
According to cybercrime officials, the fraudsters initially send the messages to the target’s mobile phone via text message or WhatsApp. When the latter responded, they introduced themselves as employees of the local power authority and informed customers that their electricity bills had not been paid and that there would be a power outage later in the day or night.
The fraudster then pressures the target to download the app he recommends and share a link to the transaction. They would then notify the victim that they would call back later, but the money would be withdrawn from the bank account. The city has reported several cases of people losing money to fraudsters.
In one such example, a consumer received an error message from mobile number 9531039190 saying “power will be disconnected at 10.30pm as your bill is not updated, please contact the electricity office 9064579675”.
When the number was called, someone called back and insisted on downloading and paying for the app he recommended from the Google Play Store. However, when the consumer refused to download the same content and demanded more details, the call was immediately hung up.
If an unsuspecting consumer downloads the link, even while he waits, fraudsters will manage to use it to gain access to their bank account login credentials and withdraw funds, a cybercrime official said.
