Alert: Do not inadvertently click on the link to pay the gas bill, you may lose lakhs!

In this age of high-speed internet, it is quite challenging to predict when and how someone might be cheated. Sometimes people are cheated in the name of electricity bills and sometimes in the name of bank KYC process. Now a 66-year-old man has been defrauded in the name of Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL).

According to reports, this incident took place on March 27 in Mumbai. The elderly man received a message from MNGL asking him to pay the outstanding bill. The bill amount was ₹514. The scammers pressured the person to pay the bill immediately and sent a web link to his phone number.

In the absence of information, the person clicked on the link and followed the instructions given by the scammers, believing that they were genuine MNGL employees. He even provided his debit card details for his bank account. After this, a message came informing that Rs 49,850 had been debited from his account. Upon realizing this, the man contacted the bank and discovered that a loan of Rs 16,22,310 had been taken in his name by fraudsters. A complaint has been registered at Shivajinagar police station and an investigation is underway.

Where did the mistake happen?

The government and media warn people every day not to trust any unknown message. If someone sends you a web link, do not click on it at all. Avoid giving bank account information, but some people don’t listen. If you are threatened or warned about disconnection, there is no need to panic. The worst that can happen is that your connection is disconnected, but your money will not fall into the hands of fraudsters. In this age of super-fast internet, knowledge and caution are the best safety measures.