Scammers are duping unsuspecting people by falsely claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a Rs 8,000 cash gift for all Indian citizens to mark the festival. Kolkata: The Kolkata Police Cyber Cell issued an advisory on Sunday, warning citizens against a fraudulent scheme circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms on the day of Diwali .
The scam message circulating online reads: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Rs 8,000 cash support for all Indian citizens on the occasion of Diwali. To mark this year’s Diwali festival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a cash benefit of Rs 8,000 for every Indian citizen to celebrate the occasion. How to claim it: Click the link below and collect the Rs 8,000 cash support provided by the government of India immediately.
I have already received my benefit.”
Similar cases have been reported by both Pune and Mumbai Police, cops ascertaining it is a nationwide organised crime.
The phishing attack relies on deceptive links that redirect targets to malicious websites designed to siphon personal data, harvest banking details, or trick victims into authorising unauthorised UPI money transfers, according to cyber cell officers. Hare Street Police arrested six persons—five female tele-callers and a manager, Krishnendu Saha—for operating a syndicate duping citizens into buying non-existent “Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Yojana” packages. Reinforcing the severity of the threat, a cyber-cell officer issued a warning. “We are specifically cautioning people against paying any registration fee or other charges to claim the purported benefit. Citizens have also been advised not to share Aadhaar or PAN details, bank account information, OTPs, ATM PINs, CVVs or UPI PINs on unfamiliar websites or links. They have been asked not to forward such messages and to verify information about government schemes only through official government websites. The advisory follows recent detective department breakthroughs against similar govt-themed frauds. Investigators recovered mobile phones, written scripts used to impersonate officials, and extensive customer databases. Dozens of digital devices and documents were seized across four locations, with multi-agency interrogations currently underway to trace the full financial trail of the operation.
Police highlighted that the widespread use of vernacular languages in these fraudulent messages mirrors a familiar modus operandi previously employed by fake call centres that have recently been operating in the city to trap innocent residents with fictitious schemes linked to Prime Minister.