The electricity bill that will cut you off tonight
आज रात बिजली कटने वाला मैसेज
An SMS from an ordinary 10-digit number says your power will be disconnected at 9:30 pm unless you call.
- Who it is aimed at
- Households, and hardest on anyone who genuinely is not sure whether the last bill was paid.
- How fast it moves
- One evening
What they say
Reconstructed from reported complaints. The wording changes; the sequence does not.
“Dear Consumer, your electricity will be disconnected tonight 9:30 pm as previous month bill not updated. Contact officer 9XXXXXXXXX.”
“Just download this app so I can update the meter reading from here.”
How it runs
- 01The SMS comes from a personal number, not a registered sender ID
- 02Calling the number reaches a helpful 'officer'
- 03You are walked into a small test payment or a remote-access app
- 04The account is emptied during the call
A real utility sends bills from a registered sender ID, not a mobile number, and disconnection never happens the same evening by SMS.
If this happened to you
Check your bill in the utility's own app, then report the number you were sent.
If money left an account in the last few hours, call 1930 before anything else.
What the government calls this
The complaint form asks you to pick a category. This is the one it means.
- Smishing
- Vishing
Fake SMSs related to unpaid Electricity Bill to dupe citizens
Published 10 May 2022
Read it on cybercrime.gov.in ↗