Elderly man tries to ‘update’ water bill, loses Rs 2.5 lakh

Pune: A senior citizen from Wakad on Monday morning received a WhatsApp message from ‘PCMC' (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) that claimed his water connection would be disconnected by 9pm, as his Jan water bill was not ‘updated'.
Though he had paid the bill he did not suspect it could be a fraud since the message came with PCMC's logo. As instructed he contacted the ‘update officer', whose cellphone number was mentioned. The ‘officer' told him to download an APK file. Within an hour of the elderly resident downloading it, the crooks managed to siphon Rs 2.5 lakh from his bank account.
Senior inspector Ravikiran Nale of Pimpri Chinchwad cyber police said fraudsters had come up with a new modus operandi. "It is similar to the power bill fraud in which people would get messages about the disconnection of electricity supply."
PCMC had received multiple complaints about fraudulent messages claiming to be from its water supply department, corporation commissioner Shekhar Singh said. "We urge people to stay cautious, ignore such messages, and avoid calling the numbers mentioned in them. The civic body is actively coordinating with cyber police to act against the culprits. We request residents to report such incidents without delay," he said.
Inspector Nale said such messages panick residents. "The person on the other end, who poses as a water department official, tells the target to download a file to update the bill. It is an APK file with a malware. As soon as the person downloads it, crooks get access to their cellphone and the data stored in it, which includes bank account details and passwords."
Civic officials have clarified that while legal action is being taken against properties with outstanding water bills, all official notices are sent through verified communication channels. PCMC has also issued a public advisory on fake messages on water bills.