Auto, the new vehicle to spread awareness about power bill con in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: In a bid to counter fraudsters who have made a killing by targeting people with fake messages threatening disconnection of power, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has taken a leaf out of election campaigns and come up with a novel way to spread awareness-making announcements from autos.
In Mumbai alone, more than 130 people have fallen prey to the light bill con in the last five months, losing about Rs 2 crore in all. The victims are swindled after the fraudsters gain access to their mobile phones once they click on a link sent to "make payments/update bills". The number of victims could run into a few hundreds across the state during the period.
So, in an attempt to reach out to all categories of consumers, including the middle class and the poor, the MSEDCL is leaving no stone unturned. As per its plan, an auto moves around middle-class colonies, slum pockets and chawls during morning and evening hours with a speaker attached to its roof blaring out the message loud and clear. "We have a pre-recorded message which appeals to citizens to pay their bills on time, avoid facing the embarrassment of disconnection, use electricity at home only when required, and conserve energy. Most importantly, our officials mention over the microphone that citizens should not fall prey to fake SMSs in circulation asking them to click on a link and pay their dues," a senior official from Kalyan zone of the MSEDCL said.
"While tech-savvy consumers see the alerts on websites or mobile apps, we wanted to reach out through public announcement to those who do not use apps nor go online," an official said Scores of Mumbaikars and those residing in Thane, Kalyan, and Navi Mumbai have been waking up to frightening messages mentioning that their power supply will be disconnected by 9.30 pm the same day if they failed to pay their "electricity bill dues".
While most of the victims, according to cases filed in 40-plus city police stations, have been senior citizens (30%), the targets also include doctors, hoteliers, Navy officers, e students, engineers, businessmen, ex- government employees, and even domestic help. "The fraudsters play on the psychology and fear of the people. They make their victims believe their warnings and download the link to get access to their gadgets to siphon money. People are falling prey because of lack of awareness," Maharashtra State Cyber SP Sanjay Shintre said. The objective, MSEDCL said, is to alert each consumer to how citizens are being gypped.