if you make your payment electricity bill Online then you must read about this latest scam which is being used by fraudsters to mislead people. Electricity boards or suppliers often inform the customers through SMS or WhatsApp messages about the total amount and due date of the electricity bill for a given month. Using a similar format, scamsters are now sending fake messages to users about outstanding power dues to dupe them.

Learn all about the latest electricity bill scam
Many users are receiving messages from random numbers on WhatsApp or via SMS saying that their electricity connection will be suspended soon unless they call a certain number immediately. The message read: “Dear customer your electricity will be disconnected from electricity office at 8.30 pm tonight. Because your last month bill was not updated, please contact our electricity immediately 8240471159 Thanks.”

Many users have tweeted about receiving such messages on Twitter. Giving an account of how people have fallen into this trap, a Twitter user Digambar Karekar recently shared a social media post. He mentioned, “A family friend of ours was robbed of Rs 25000 by cyber fraud. The daughter got an SMS saying that her electricity meter will be disconnected today for non-payment of dues. So call on the given number. The daughter forwarded the call. Her father. The father called that number, and he was asked to download an APP to make the payment. On download, he was asked to make a trial payment of Rs.5. On doing so he found that Rs 25,000 had been debited in his account. Be careful.”

Take the following steps to avoid the latest electricity bill scam

state Bank of India ,State Bank Of India) recently warned customers against falling prey to fraudulent messages about unpaid electricity bills. Understand “this is the wrong number”! Never answer call back or such SMS as it is a scam to steal your personal/financial information. Stay alert and #SafeWithSBI,” the lender wrote in a post on Twitter.

The bank has also suggested some methods to find out whether the SMS you are getting regarding your electricity bill is genuine or fake. follow these steps:

1) You need to check whether the message has come from personal phone number or official number. The electricity board or supplier usually sends SMS from an official number.

2) Check if there is any message or person (calling from random number) asking you to take immediate action regarding your electricity bill payment. Fraudsters often create urgency or panic, leaving individuals with little time to think.

3) Read the message carefully and you will find many spelling and grammatical errors.

The bank has asked users to make a safe choice and verify the source before taking any action.

Also, if you missed paying your electricity bill for any month, contact the electricity board or the supplier. You can find official contact details of any electricity board in your previous electricity bills.

Text message scams, also known as smishing, are one of the most popular tricks scamsters use to steal personal information and money. Fraudsters also trick people under the guise of updating Know Your Customer (KYC) details online.