Beneficiaries Of Govt Schemes On Cyber Criminals Radar

Those looking to avail government welfare schemes and other benefits are on cyber criminals radar. Recent trend shows people in Andhra Pradesh who are waiting for money from government welfare schemes are now being targeted by cyber criminals. Recently, two such cases were registered in Vijayawada.

A village volunteer first got a phone call from a man pretending to be from the state secretariat. He inquired if all the beneficiaries were receiving funds under Amma Vodi and other schemes. The volunteer stated at this point that one student had not received the money.

The conman caller then asked the volunteer to take the student’s father on a conference call. According to reports, the conman informed the father that he would have to pay a processing fee in order to obtain money from the scheme.

The father made two separate transfers of Rs 4,000 and Rs 9,000. When the father tried to dial the number again, it got disconnected, and he realised he had been duped.

On March 20, he filed a complaint with the Gannavaram police station. A cyber conman tried to collect information on scheme beneficiaries from village secretariat officials in another incident.

The modus-operandi of cybercriminals have changed drastically in recent years. They have started targeting locals and have strategised their attack by specifically crafting phishing calls, messages as per the dynamics of the area. The police have appealed to the citizens not to give out their personal information over the phone call to any unauthorised person and not pay any money just on the basis of any ‘processing fee’.

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