Kashmir

Beware! ‘Unpaid electricity bill’ message may be a scam: Cyber Security Researcher

SRINAGAR — Amid online shopping frauds, international call frauds and many other such scams, the latest online fraud that is doing rounds is ‘non-payment of electricity bill’.

Cyber Security Researcher Peer Tehleel Manzoor said that many people across Jammu & Kashmir are taking to social media saying they received a message asking them to pay their pending bills. The message also asks them to contact an ‘electricity officer‘ on a private number mentioned in it.

He said then the person calls up the number given into the message, fraudsters make them download the Quick Support and Any Desk applications on their phone and steal banking and credit card details.

“In the last few days, many people across Jammu & Kashmir are taking to social media saying they received a message asking them to pay their pending bills or else their power supply would be disconnected. The message, with many punctuation and spelling errors, also asks targets to contact an ‘electricity officer‘ on a private number mentioned in it,” Tehleel said.

“When the victim calls up the number given into the message, fraudsters make them download the Quick Support and Any Desk applications on their phone. Soon after the victim downloads the apps and shares the screen with the fraudster, their internet banking and credit card details get stolen,” he added. — (KIMS)