Karnataka: Beware of fraudsters asking payment of power bills, Bescom files complaint

BENGALURU:  The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has filed a complaint with the Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police seeking criminal action against online fraudsters who conned consumers in the guise of ‘electricity officers’.

Despite Bescom creating awareness among its customers to be careful about messages from unknown numbers asking to pay electricity bills, many of them responded and lost money. Online fraudsters have been targeting IT employees by sending SMSes in the guise of electricity officers, asking customers to pay the electricity bills immediately. Fearing power disconnection, a number of customers paid money through online links sent by fraudsters.

“Many of our customers have paid the electricity bill through the link sent by online fraudsters and have lost their money. Bescom has neither called customers nor sent any messages to them for payment of electricity bills,” BESCOM General Manager (Customer Relations) S R Nagaraj stated in the complaint.
Recently, several customers, who received SMSes asking to pay the electricity bill, had complained to the 1912 helpline. 

They had received the SMSes and calls from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and information has been shared with the police there, said CEN police. Bescom has repeatedly requested its customers to pay electricity bills only at Bescom billing counters, Bescom Mitra App or Bescom online portal.