‘Gas cylinder subsidy’ calls back on prowl, dupe 11 victims of lakhs
Kolkata: Around 11 Kolkatans last week came to Kolkata Police reporting losses — from a few thousand to a few lakhs — through the “gas cylinder scam”, wherein the victims reportedly received calls purportedly from their local gas dealer, stating they would receive Rs 5,500 as arrears of the subsidy for LPG cylinders from the time of the pandemic. In the 10-minute conversations, phone calls shifted to WhatsApp video calls, where the accused gave instructions to type in a few numbers. The accused gave the impression that money would be credited to the victim’s account before asking for the OTP.
On Monday, the cyber cell of Kolkata Police – along with divisional cyber cells – issued a warning about the new scam targeting UPI users, where fraudsters are using the pretext of the central govt subsidy to deceive individuals into compromising their financial information.
