Gas Cylinder Booking Payment Scam over the phone

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

A phone call lets the scammer talk fast, sound confident and keep you from thinking. The caller ID can be faked, so it proves nothing. Gas Cylinder Booking Payment Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A fake gas agency number found online takes your booking, then asks for a payment link, a refund form or a UPI PIN and empties your account.

What gas cylinder booking payment scam looks like over the phone

• A second "senior officer" who takes over the call.
• An unknown or international number, or a number that looks like a real office.
• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.

The scammer lists fake contact numbers on map and search pages with the names of gas companies and local agencies. When you search in a hurry, because your cylinder is empty or a delivery is late, you call the first number you see. The person answering knows the usual words and asks for your consumer number, name and address.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• The agency number came from a search result or map listing.
• A payment is needed just to confirm a normal booking.
• You are told to enter a PIN or OTP to receive a refund.
• A subsidy or booking cancellation is used as a threat.
• The caller wants you to install an app to "fix" something.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.

What to do

1. End the call and do not tap the link you were sent.
2. Use the number on your gas booking card, your last bill or the official app.
3. Never enter a PIN or OTP for a booking or refund.
4. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
5. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.
6. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.

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. Call 1930 at once and give the amount, time and transaction ID.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card to block the card used.
3. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the call log and any payment screenshots.
4. Uninstall any app that you installed on the caller's advice.

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

Safeavio's link check can look at a booking or payment link before you open it, and the QR check shows where a code goes before you pay. Money Shield asks you to verify before paying anyone. Safeavio cannot tell whether a phone number belongs to a real agency, so use the number printed on your booking card or bill. It cannot verify agencies.

Full guide: Gas Cylinder Booking Payment Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, SMS, fake app.

Questions