Nagpur: A 60-year-old man from Nagpur, lost Rs 1.39 lakh after clicking on a link sent by fraudsters impersonating MSEDCL officials who asked him to pay a “pending” electricity bill. The crime took place in Ajni police limits.
The victim, Sukumar Sakharam Haldar, resident of Plot No. 71, Kukde Layout, Parvati Nagar, received text messages on his phone from 7506854597 informing him that if he did not “update” and pay the “pending” bills, his electricity connection would be disconnected. Later, posing as an MSEDCL official named R K Mishra, the fraudster told Sukumar to contact MSEDCL office on the mentioned phone number. Believing that the messages were sent by the MSEDCL, Sukumar called the number. The person then asked him to install a remote access app on his mobile phone. After he downloaded the app, the fraudsters asked him to make the payment. Assuming that he was updating the bill, Sukumar clicked on the link. Within seconds, an amount of Rs 1.39 lakh got transferred from his two SBI accounts to another account.
Gold Rate
05 April 2025
Ajni API Bhosale, based on the complaint of Sukumar, registered a case under Sections 419, 420, 201, 34 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 66(C)(D) of the Information Technology Act. Further probe is underway.
In recent months, many users have been receiving messages on WhatsApp or via SMS from random numbers that say that their electricity connection will be suspended soon unless they immediately call a certain number. Text message scams, also known as smishing, are one of the most popular tricks the scamsters use to steal personal information and money.
