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Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Power and piped gas consumers beware. Your contact information seems to have been compromised as fraudsters are now having your details, especially mobile numbers and they on the prowl for your hard-earned money.
Consumers are getting fraudulent messages and phone calls wherein they are told that their power/gas supply will be cut off unless they make immediate payments by updating their online payment mode by downloading APK files shared to them through SMS or WhatsApp.
Many consumers had fallen prey to such fraudulent practices and lost their money. Police stations across the city are receiving complaints about being duped through fraudulent messages and phone calls. With the increase in cases, Madhya Pradesh West Zone Electricity Distribution Company on Sunday issued a fresh warning to electricity consumers in Indore, urging them to remain vigilant against fraudulent messages that could compromise their personal and financial information.
‘The company has reported an increase in cases where consumers received messages from unknown numbers claiming that their electricity will be cut off unless they make immediate payments or download APK files related to their electricity bills,’ West Discom said in a press release.
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Identical appeal was made by Avantika Gas Ltd lately though social media. The AGL requested consumers, ‘Customers! Beware of fake calls and platforms posing as AGL representatives. Do not share your personal or banking details with these fraudulent sources. Always pay your bills on the official AGL website or app. Stay vigilant and protect your information.’
Last month eight cases had been reported wherein victims received texts on their phones, seemingly from AGL, informing them of pending bills and threatening to disconnect their gas supply if not paid within a specified time. These messages often instruct recipients to send outstanding bill amounts to specific numbers or to download malicious APK files that could potentially hack into their mobile devices, giving hackers access to bank account information, passwords and other sensitive data.
West Discom has clarified that legitimate communication regarding electricity bills will only be sent via authorised channels. Consumers will receive bills on their registered numbers through the official WhatsApp account of West Discom or via SMS from ‘Ad-MPSEBW.’ ‘Customers are advised to disregard any messages received from unknown or private numbers, as the electricity company does not request payments through specific mobile numbers or direct consumers to download any files.
Official payments are only processed through the IVRS connection number and consumers are encouraged to make cashless payments through authorised platforms such as MP Online, Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay, Amazon and BharatPe. Discounts are available for cashless transactions, as per company rules,’ West Discom said. The electricity company has urged all consumers to remain cautious and avoid clicking on any suspicious link or download unknown files to protect themselves from potential cyber threats.
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