Electricity Disconnection Tonight SMS Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. Electricity Disconnection Tonight SMS Scam is one of the ways this shows up: 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.

What electricity disconnection tonight sms scam looks like over the phone

• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.

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.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• 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.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.

What to do

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 share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.
5. If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
6. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

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 at cybercrime.gov.in.

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.

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

Questions