Electricity Bill Disconnection Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

A fake app can be installed from a link, from a file sent on chat or even from a lookalike listing. Once on your phone it can ask for powerful permissions. Electricity Bill Disconnection Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A message says your electricity will be cut tonight for an unpaid bill, and tells you to pay through a number, link or app to avoid it.

What electricity bill disconnection scam looks like through an app

• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.
• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.
• An app outside the official store that asks for many permissions.

The scammer sends the same message to thousands of numbers, using the name of a local electricity board or a common power company. It includes a time that is only a few hours away and a request to contact an officer. The message looks short and official, with a customer ID that is just a few random digits.

Red flags to check on the app

• The message gives a disconnection time within hours.
• A private mobile number is given for an 'officer'.
• You are told to install an app or tap a link to update the bill.
• A small payment is requested to 'activate' the update.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.

What to do

1. Do not call the number or tap the link in the message.
2. Look at your last paid bill and payment history in the official app or website you type yourself.
3. Call the electricity board using the number on your bill if you need help.
4. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.
5. Change the passwords of your bank and email from a clean device if the app had access.
6. Run a phone scan (Safeavio Sentinel lists risky apps and settings).

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 at once and give the amount and time of the payment.
2. Tell your bank using the number on your card or passbook.
3. Remove any app installed on the caller's advice and change banking passwords.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the message and screenshots.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's scam check can review the message you paste and show why it looks like urgency and fake authority, and the link check looks at the link before you open it. If an app was installed, the phone scan can point out apps outside a store. It cannot tell whether your bill is paid, so check your last bill or the official app.

Full guide: Electricity Bill Disconnection Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, WhatsApp, phone call.

Questions