Kolkata, March 13 – The Kolkata Police issued an advisory on Friday, cautioning people about the possibility of online fraud, taking advantage of the situation in West Asia and the likely impact on gas supplies.
A senior officer from the city police's cybercrime division said that some cases have already been reported about citizens receiving suspicious phone calls, SMS, or WhatsApp messages on this matter.
In such cases, the fraudsters are contacting LPG customers, pretending to be officials from the Central government. Over the phone, they claim that the government is surveying gas usage. Then, the concerned consumer is told that they have booked gas within 25 days of their previous booking, which is against the rules. The consumer is also told that they will be penalized for this violation," the officer said.
According to him, any consumer who succumbs to fear and seeks advice to get out of this alleged menace is then advised by the fraudster to click a link and fill out an online form.
"As soon as the concerned consumer clicks on the link sent to them, the fraudster gains control over the entire mobile data of the consumer," the cybercrime division official said. "The next step is withdrawing money from their bank accounts."
According to him, there is another way that the fraudsters are trying to trap vulnerable consumers. "In this case, the concerned consumer is told that they have been enlisted through a lottery to receive the LPG cylinder at their doorstep within two days of the booking date," he added. "The consumer, lured by this bogus offer, is then asked to fill out a form through a link sent to them or on WhatsApp."
He said that anyone receiving such a mysterious call or message should completely ignore them and immediately report to the local police station.
"Under no circumstances should anyone click on unknown links and share personal or banking information. The cyber branches of various police stations in the city have already been alerted, and the general public has also been advised to be aware," the official added.