‘Your electricity will be disconnected…’: Scammers attempt to lure unsuspecting victims

Many customers have been receiving messages on WhatsApp and by way of SMS from unknown numbers which declare that the consumer’s electrical energy, phone or different connections can be disconnected until they contact a sure quantity. “I received the first SMS on September 30 and then a second message on October 2. My mother also received a similar message. We have a very high electricity bill so I thought that maybe it is right,” Soumya Sengupta, a 38-year-old Kolkata-based businessman informed indianexpress.com.

“So I checked the CESC [Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation] website where I usually pay the bill. But all the dues were paid. That is when I suspected it was a scam,” added Sengupta. “Your Electricity Power will disconnect at 9:30 pm as your last month (sic) bill wasn’t updated Call us [mobile number],” mentioned two separate messages despatched to Sengupta.

The rip-off messages obtained by Soumya Sengupta. (Image credit score: Soumya Sengupta/Screenshot)

The rip-off can be standard on WhatsApp. “I got the message on September 26. I immediately identified it was a scam. I got two houses, one in Kolkata and one in Odisha. I have never gotten a WhatsApp message from either of the distribution companies in the cities. And even when companies use WhatsApp, it will have a logo and it will be from an official account,” mentioned Anthony Khatchaturian, a 41-year-old freelance author who works out of Kolkata and London, to indianexpress.com.

“My question is if I was not knowledgeable or tech savvy, or maybe I got scared and fell for the scam, who would I call? Do I call the distribution company, do I call the police? Also, in India, you cannot get a number without an Aadhaar card. Imagine the confidence they have to publicly scam so many people with a number linked to an Aadhaar card,” added Khatchaturian.

“Please Update Your Bill. Dear Consumer Your Electricity Power will be disconnected. Tonight at 8.30 PM from(sic) electricity office. Because your previous (sic) month bill was not updated please immediately contact (sic) with our electricity officer [phone number] thank you,” mentioned a WhatsApp picture despatched to Khatchaturian.

The rip-off message obtained on WhatsApp by Anthony Khatchaturian. (Image credit score: Anthony Khatchaturian/Screenshot)

While Sengupta and Khatchaturian recognized the rip-off for what it was, it’s attainable that others have fallen for it. If an unsuspecting sufferer had been to be lured into the rip-off, the malicious actors may probably defraud them of cash or their delicate private data.

“One of our family friends was fleeced of Rs 25000 by cyber fraud. His daughter got an SMS stating that their electric meter will be disconnected today for non-payment of dues. The daughter forwarded the call to her father. Father called that number and he was asked to download an APP to make a payment. On downloading he was asked to make a test payment of Rs. 5. On doing the same he found Rs. 25000 debited to his account,” wrote Twitter consumer Digamber Karekar (@drkarekar) in a tweet. Indianexpress.com has not been capable of independently confirm this.

Whether this cyber police service can be obtainable to widespread residents? @MumbaiPolice

One of our household buddy was fleeced of Rs. 25000 by a cyber fraud. Daughter received a SMS stating that their electrical meter can be disconnected in the present day for non-payment of dues. Hence name https://t.co/zxawVdvh4d

— Digamber Karekar (@drkarekar) October 2, 2022

Sengupta and Khatchaturian are Kolkata residents and Karekar’s Twitter profile says he lives in Mumbai however the rip-off appears to be widespread in different cities as nicely. A consumer in Delhi obtained the same message. In one other model of the rip-off, the scammer pretends to be from the telecom firm MTNL.

“Using SMS messages as an attack vector may seem rudimentary, but as with email phishing, it’s still disconcertingly effective. These attempts often imitate trusted brands or personal contacts to entice the victim to click on a link or share personal details in confidence,” mentioned Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director, India, and SAARC area, Check Point Software Technologies, to indianexpress.com over e mail.

“This method has proven particularly successful as after one device has been compromised, its entire contact list is up for grabs, creating an endless cycle of possible victims,” added Balasubramanian. Check Point Software, an American-Israeli IT safety agency, has noticed a steady improve in such “Smishing” or SMS phishing campaigns.

Balasubramanian recommends that customers watch out about downloading purposes, ensuring that they solely obtain apps from the Google and Apple shops. Also, cellular customers ought to keep away from downloading or clicking on unknown hyperlinks that are available emails, SMS messages or by different messaging purposes.