Electricity Disconnection Tonight SMS Scam

A text says power will be cut tonight because the last bill was not updated, and asks you to call an officer. The aim is to get an app installed.

A message warns that your electricity connection will be disconnected tonight at 9.30 because your previous bill was not updated. It tells you to call a named officer immediately. The number belongs to the scammer. On the call you are told to install an app to update the bill or to pay a tiny amount. The real aim is access to your phone or your bank account, not a bill.

How the scam works

The scammer sends the text to many numbers and picks a time of day that feels urgent, such as the late afternoon. The message carries an officer's name and a mobile number, and says that after the call your bill will be updated. Because electricity boards do cut connections for dues, many people believe it and do not remember paying every bill.

On the call, the 'officer' is polite and firm. He says the system shows a pending Rs 10 or Rs 25 amount that failed to update. To fix it you must install a customer support or screen sharing app, or pay through a link. He guides you with step by step instructions and tells you to keep the app open, which blocks you from reading anything else.

The payoff is access. Screen sharing lets the scammer watch your banking app, capture OTPs and sometimes tap on the screen. A payment link may collect card or UPI details. Within minutes, money can move out of your account. The victim often realises only when the debit alerts appear, long after the 'officer' has gone silent.

An example of what you may see

Example message (invented): 'Dear consumer, your electricity connection will be disconnected tonight at 9.30 PM because your last month bill was not updated. Call Officer Sharma immediately on the number below to avoid disconnection.' Then the caller says: 'Install this support app, open it and tell me the nine digit code so I can update the bill from my side.' Disconnection notices do not work this way, and no genuine officer needs a code from your phone.

This example is written for illustration. Real messages change their wording, names and links all the time.

Red flags

• It names a specific time tonight for disconnection.
• It asks you to call a personal mobile number.
• The caller wants you to install a support app.
• You are asked to read out a code shown on your screen.
• A small amount is demanded through a link.
• The sender is not the official header of the board.

What to do right now

1. Do not call the number in the message.
2. Check your bill in the electricity board's official app or website, or the number printed on your bill.
3. Look at your last paid receipt or account history.
4. Never install a support app on a caller's request.
5. Report the text on Sanchar Saathi.

If you already paid or shared a code

1. If you installed an app, remove it and turn off screen sharing from settings.
2. Call 1930 immediately if any money moved.
3. Ask your bank through the card number to block cards and UPI.
4. Report on cybercrime.gov.in and change banking passwords from a clean device.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930. Report online at cybercrime.gov.in. Do it fast: the sooner your bank is told, the better the chance that money can be held.

Where this scam shows up

Read how it looks on each channel:

How Safeavio helps

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads the pasted text and shows the signals: a same-night deadline, a personal number to call and a request for an app. Its phone scan lists installed apps and permissions, including apps from outside a store and remote-control style apps. It cannot read your electricity account or stop you installing an app, but it can help you notice and remove it.

• Scam checks
• Phone health checks

Questions people ask

Other scams in this group

Also known as: power cut warning fraud, electricity bill unpaid SMS, electricity board fake officer call, bijli bill scam. More fake government and police scams