An environmentalist was duped out of ₹1.5 lakh by a cybercriminal posing as a representative from Mahanagar Gas (Representative image)
Fraud Alert: Utility Scammers Targeting Customers
Kumar reported that he promptly contacted his banks to block two credit cards after falling victim to a scam. He also filed an online complaint with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), which confirmed that his case was forwarded to the Kopar Khairane police station for further investigation.
Authorities have indicated a rise in complaints from individuals deceived by fraudsters impersonating utility service providers. These scammers often claim that customers have small outstanding dues, enticing them to download harmful applications or share sensitive banking information.
The victim was made to download an Apk file and enter his credit card details for making payment of pending Rs 12. The caller then sent a WhatsApp link which opened what appeared to be an official Mahanagar Gas payment page displaying an outstanding bill amount of Rs 12. “
Moments later, I received a call from a person claiming that the earlier payment had not been reflected in the system. The victim, environment activist BN Kumar, a resident of Koparkhairane said, “On Tuesday, I had received a text message claiming to be from MGL Ltd and threatening to disconnect my domestic gas supply for non-payment of bill.