Fake SMSs related to unpaid Electricity Bill to dupe citizens

Threat Summary

Smishing - Cybercriminals send text messages pretending to be from trusted sources to get targets to click on links that install malware or steal personal & banking details. It has been observed that Cyber fraudsters have started duping people in the name of unpaid electricity bill. The fraud campaign is being aggressively spread using SMSs. Users tend to be less skeptical of text messages, so smishing is often lucrative to attackers looking for credentials, banking information, or private data.

Suggestions

1. Avoid sharing your phone number unless you know the person or organization well.

2. Spammers use caller ID Spoofing to make it appear the text is from a trusted or local source.

3. Avoid downloading software from unofficial sources. Remove non-essential applications.

4. Avoid providing personal or financial information in response to the unsolicited text or at a website linked to the message.

5. Avoid clicking on links in suspicious text; they could install malware on your device or take you to a site that does the same.

6. Report any such incidents on the cybercrime.gov.in portal and follow @CyberDost on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Public, Koo and LinkedIn to know more about safety tips.