Mandi – In a disturbing incident, six farmers from Gohar, located in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, have fallen victim to a series of cyber frauds over the past two days. The fraudsters targeted them by impersonating officials and asking for One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to process applications for Kisan Credit Cards and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi forms.
The victims reported that the scammers called them under the guise of filling out government forms. They were asked to share their OTPs, leading to immediate deductions from their bank accounts. In one instance, a victim who had recently accessed his Kisan Credit Card received a call from a toll-free number. After providing the requested OTP, he discovered that his account had been emptied. Other victims, who were contacted through WhatsApp groups, were provided with a malicious APK link. Upon opening the link and entering the OTP, their phones were hacked, and money was siphoned off from their accounts.
The police emphasized that awareness is the best defense against such scams. Victims have been encouraged to report such incidents immediately, either to the police station or by contacting the toll-free number 1930. Fortunately, the Cyber Crime Police have been able to recover funds for four of the victims, returning money amounts ranging from Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 83,000.
The Cyber Crime Police have issued a warning to residents about calls from specific international numbers often used by fraudsters. These numbers begin with +94777455913, +37127913091, and other similar international prefixes. The scammers ring once and disconnect the call. If the recipient calls back, the fraudsters can quickly copy contact lists and gain access to sensitive data like banking and credit card information. Authorities advise the public to be cautious and avoid answering calls from these numbers.
