After different scams and frauds done with the common people,now the hackers have come up with a new strategy to target the innocent peopleof different states.
The hackers and fraudsters in different areas like Mumbai,Delhi, Hyderabad, Punjab, and Pune are sending fake WhatsApp messages or SMSsaying that their previous electricity bill is unpaid and should call on thegiven number to resolve the issue. As soon as the local people dial thatnumber, the hackers try to extract their personal information by trying to talkto them for a long duration. After extracting the personal data, this wholeinformation is used by the fraudsters to withdraw a huge sum of money from theiraccounts.
In the past few days, almost 22 residents of Jalandhar havereceived this fake message.
Suraj Kumar, a resident of Rama Mandi, said:"I received an SMS from number-9314417540. In the message, it was writtenthat my electricity connection will be disconnected tonight at 9.30 pm from theelectricity office because my previous month's bill was not paid. They alsoprovided a number-7855788216, and it was written that I should immediately callthe electricity officer on this number to resolve the matter."
"I immediately called my father to confirm if our billwas paid. When he confirmed that there is no pendency, I became alert andchecked the message again. When I read the message again, there were manypunctuation and spelling errors and from there I got a clear idea that it'sfake," he added.
Not only this the cyber cell has also confirmed that theyhave received complaints from many people regarding this issue, but nofinancial loss has been registered till now. A city-based cyber cell expert hasalso said that it is a national-level scam that is being carried out byprofessional hackers.
After all this, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limitedhas issued a circular with some important guidelines in it. The guidelinesinform that the electricity board never sends any message through WhatsApp orSMS. It has also warned people not to fall into the trap of such fake messagesand register a complaint against it in the cyber cell.