Navi Mumbai activist loses Rs 1.5 lakh in fake gas bill scam

The Story in Brief

A Navi Mumbai environment activist allegedly lost more than Rs 1.5 lakh after fraudsters posing as Mahanagar Gas officials sent him a fake Rs 12 payment link, the Free Press Journal reports. B. N. Kumar was threatened with disconnection over an unpaid bill and later persuaded to install an APK file and enter credit card details. Unauthorised transactions were then carried out on two cards within minutes.

Kumar blocked the cards after receiving OTP alerts and complained to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The complaint was transferred to Kopar Khairane Police Station. Police said they had received several complaints involving fake utility dues and advised people to verify demands with service providers, avoid unknown APK files and never share banking details or OTPs.

The Indian Opinion

The lazy claim that such scams target only careless or elderly people does not fit this case. Nor should a tiny payment demand be treated as harmless. A fake utility message, a convincing caller and a malicious app can defeat routine caution. Banks and service providers also need faster emergency response when customers report unauthorised transactions. The useful test is simple: can a customer block a card and reach a trained official within minutes?

Source: freepressjournal.in

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