8 months later, fraudsters continue to target consumers over power disconnection

Panaji: For over eight months, the state has been unable to stop fraud messages targetting senior citizens regarding disconnection of their power supply, and asking them to make payments online. The messages, sent via SMS, claim to be from the electricity department.
The latest SMS received by a senior citizen in Fatorda read, “Notification. Dear consumer your electricity power will be disconnected. Tonight at 9.30pm from electricity office because your previous month bill was not update. Please immediately contact with our electricity officer 9641325400”.
The electricity department first cautioned consumers against the fraud messages for disconnection of power supply in March this year and also warned them not to carry out any payments on the links provided by the scamsters or share any details/OTP with them.
“The electricity department will not send any such messages through SMS or WhatsApp for immediate disconnection of power supply. In case of any further clarification, contact our toll free helpline at 1912 or at 0832-2490800,” the department had advised.
“We have filed two police complaints at Panaji police station and cybercrime department is looking into the issue. There’s nothing more we can do about it,” an electricity department official told TOI.
The department also put out cautionary messages on social media, but the menace continues with people still falling prey.
Austerio Fernandes, a senior citizen from Siolim who was conned in June and wrote to cybercrime about his entire ordeal, said social media messages are not enough to get the message across to senior citizens.
He ended up paying four times the bill amount and cut off just in time before the rest of the balance from his account was wiped off.
“Three days after sharing the contact number of the fraudsters with the police, I was still able to contact them through the same number. The police are very lethargic. The department and people can only enlighten the public, but the police who are supposed to be our guardians should have used all their means and ways to stop them from harassing seniors,” Fernandes told TOI.
“The government too has taken the issue very lightly. It has all the machinery and resources to stop the menace. It should take stern measures to see that this menace ends,” he added.