Thousands of electricity consumers, particularly in Hyderabad, have received fraudulent calls and messages from cybercriminals posing as power utility officials, warning them of imminent disconnection due to unpaid bills.
Hyderabad: Thousands of electricity consumers, particularly in Hyderabad, have received fraudulent calls and messages from cybercriminals posing as power utility officials, warning them of imminent disconnection due to unpaid bills. The scam coincided with the usual power bill payment period, which falls between the 16 and 26 of every month, with a due date of 14 days from the bill issue date.
Many consumers reported receiving SMS and WhatsApp messages claiming they had outstanding electricity bills. Alarmed, some—despite having already paid—called the provided numbers.
The fraudsters then attempted to convince them that previous bills were still pending and urged them to make payments through a malicious link. While the exact number of victims remains unknown, several consumers who contacted Deccan Chronicle said they recognised the scam and alerted authorities.
S.V. Reddy, a resident of Ramanthapur, received a message on Sunday, warning that his power supply would be disconnected at 7.30 pm due to an unpaid bill. He responded, stating that he had already paid `1,200. Within seconds, he received a call from a scammer claiming the payment had not been updated and insisting he clear the amount via a link. Realising the fraud, Reddy confronted the caller and later warned others. He cautioned that clicking such links could expose mobile data and allow scammers to withdraw money from linked bank accounts.
Musharraf Faruqui, Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited chairman and managing director, urged consumers not to share bank details, credit or debit card information or follow suspicious payment links. He clarified that official TGSPDCL messages always contain the department’s name, Unique Service Connection (USC) number, consumer name and bill amount. The department never sends messages from personal mobile numbers or demands immediate payments through unknown links.
Faruqui also stated that TGSPDCL employees do not collect bank account details and never send website links for bill payments. He emphasised that the power supply is not disconnected overnight or at midnight.
Addressing concerns of a data breach, he stated that there was no evidence of compromised consumer information. The scammers were making random calls, as the fraudulent messages lacked USC numbers, bill dates and exact bill amounts, he explained.
Authorities have urged consumers to stay vigilant and report such fraudulent activities immediately.
