Electricity bill payment scam returns in Bengaluru

The scammer accessed the bank account by asking the victim to download remote access software Teamviewer and Quicksupport mobile apps

December 21, 2022 08:16 pm | Updated December 22, 2022 09:56 pm IST - Bengaluru

Aravind Kumar, a 56-year-old businessman from Chamarajapet, was cheated of ₹4.9 lakh on the pretext of online electricity bill payment. Illustration for representational purposes only.

Aravind Kumar, a 56-year-old businessman from Chamarajapet, was cheated of ₹4.9 lakh on the pretext of online electricity bill payment. Illustration for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu photo library

After a brief lull, the electricity bill payment scam returned despite repeated awareness campaigns by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and the police.

Aravind Kumar, a 56-year-old businessman from Chamarajapet, filed a complaint with the West Division cyber crime police on Saturday, stating that he had been cheated of ₹4.9 lakh on the pretext of online electricity bill payment.

Mr. Kumar said that the accused, posing as a Bescom official, called him to inform that if he did not pay the electricity bill immediately, the power connection will be disconnected.

Mr. Kumar asked him for an option, for which the accused sent him a link to download Teamviewer and Quicksupport mobile apps. As soon as the app was downloaded on Mr. Kumar’s mobile phone, the accused accessed his bank account details and transferred the money to his account online. Mr. Kumar provided the details of the bank transactions based on which the police are trying to track down the accused.

In a similar case, M. Bangaraswamy, advisor to the Water Resources Department, lost ₹99,500 to a conman on Monday.

The accused called Mr. Bangaraswamy to inform him that his power connection would be disconnected if he did not pay the bill immediately. The accused, during the conversation, accessed the bank account details and withdrew the money.

The cyber crime police and Bescom officials in August this year urged its consumers to ignore any text regarding discontinuation of electricity supply owing to non-payment of bills.

They had clarified that such text messages are fake and Bescom does not send text messages to insist on payment of bills.

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