News Desk: “You will receive cooking gas within two days under a special quota” — if such a mobile message or link reaches you, beware. This could be the work of cyber criminals. If such a message or link arrives, ignore it completely (Cooking Gas Scam).
This warning has been issued by the Cyber Branch of Kolkata Police.
It is worth noting that due to the war in West Asia, a shortage of cooking gas has emerged in various states across the country. In particular, there has been a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in metropolitan cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai. As a result, people working in restaurants, hotels, and similar establishments have been severely affected.
So far, no significant shortage of cooking gas has been reported in Assam. A slight shortage of commercial cylinders has been observed in only a few places. The Assam government, particularly Nagaon District Commissioner Debasish Sharma, has urged everyone not to panic over the cooking gas shortage. The district commissioner has also urged business establishments to refrain from using domestic cylinders in place of commercial cylinders.and has advised people not to purchase and stockpile extra cylinders out of fear of a shortage.
Meanwhile, amid all this, cyber criminals have become active in several states including West Bengal, exploiting the cooking gas shortage. According to reports published in the neighbouring state’s media, cyber criminals are taking advantage of the situation where many people in West Bengal are unable to book cooking gas through their mobile phones. They are sending links to consumers claiming that gas can be obtained within two days under a “special quota.” Several such incidents have already taken place in Kolkata.
As a result, Kolkata Police have become active against these cyber criminals. The Cyber Crime Investigation Branch of Lalbazar Police has also alerted other police units to remain vigilant.
According to information received, cyber criminals are also committing fraud using another tactic. Under this method, cyber criminals call ordinary citizens and introduce themselves as employees of the central government. They tell customers that they have records of the customer booking gas within 25 days, and threaten them by saying this constitutes an offence.
In such a situation, the victim is asked to fill out a form and a link is sent to them via WhatsApp. Once that link is clicked, control of the concerned person’s mobile phone falls into the hands of the cyber criminals.
Kolkata Police have therefore advised that if such phone calls are received, they should be completely ignored and no links of any kind should be clicked. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police have also posted on social media urging people to remain alert against such cyber criminals.
The West Bengal government has held an important meeting to discuss this entire situation. The state government has made it clear that there is no disruption in the supply of cooking gas to household kitchens, schools, and hospitals.