A 61-year-old income tax specialist in Mumbai lost ₹3.54 lakh in a sophisticated fake gas bill scam, according to a PTI report. The incident highlights how cybercriminals are increasingly targeting customers through regular utility services like gas, electricity, and mobile bills to access bank accounts. The victim received a WhatsApp message in April claiming to be from Mahanagar Gas, warning that his gas connection would be disconnected by the night if an outstanding bill was not cleared.
After receiving the WhatsApp message, the victim received a call from an unknown person who claimed to help resolve the issue. The caller allegedly asked him to download a mobile application, enter his customer number and make a small payment of ₹10 through the app. Although the victim downloaded the application, he did not make the payment. However, a few days later, he received email alerts about unauthorised transactions from his bank accounts, as reported by PTI.
According to the PTI report, police said the fraudsters allegedly transferred ₹3.54 lakh from the victim's bank accounts. The victim later approached the National Cyber Helpline at 1930 and filed a complaint. Further investigation is currently underway to identify the perpetrators and recover the stolen funds.
The incident demonstrates how scammers frequently incite fear by sending messages threatening penalties or instant disconnection. After a victim replies, fraudsters may attempt to gain access to financial and personal data through fake customer care calls, malicious mobile applications, fraudulent payment links, and requests for banking details or OTPs. To protect against such scams, experts recommend not downloading apps shared by unknown callers or messages, never sharing OTPs, UPI PINs or banking passwords with anyone, checking bills only through official company websites or apps, and avoiding payments through links received on WhatsApp or SMS. Police have advised citizens to avoid downloading APK files received through messaging apps, verify customer care numbers only through official websites, and never share banking or OTP details with unknown callers.
