An alarming cyber fraud has emerged in Coimbatore, where a wave of parents have lost money after receiving scam calls promising scholarships for their college-going children. The fraudsters impersonated officials from the Tamil Nadu Education Department’s “Illam Thedi Kalvi” scheme, initiating WhatsApp video calls, QR code scans, and step-by-step instructions that led to unauthorised withdrawals ranging from INR 28,554 to INR 53001.
Scam Details: From Scholarship Promise to Account Depletion
In one case, S Sudhakar, 47, from Ram Nagar, received a call informing him that his son Deepak, who had just completed Class XII, qualified for a scholarship of INR 38500 under the Illam Thedi Kalvi initiative. During a WhatsApp video interaction, Sudhakar scanned a QR code displayed by the caller and entered digits as instructed—only to see INR 28,554 vanish from his account in seconds.
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A similarly disturbing case involved J Charles Peter, 45, of Puliyakulam, who lost INR 53001 under the same pretence. He later confirmed the scam occurred while using a relative’s phone—another tactic likely intended to confuse the victim and mask liability.
Cybercrime officials say about seven students from the same school were targeted, prompting them to file complaints. So far, the city’s cybercrime unit has received around forty such reports, suggesting a broader coordinated operation.
Police Warn: QR Codes Are Not Scholarship Gates
Coimbatore’s Police Commissioner, A Saravana Sundar, cautioned the public:
“No government department will ask for money to disburse scholarships. We have alerted schools and colleges to warn their students. Avoid scanning QR codes from unknown sources—fraudsters are now exploiting publicly available student data to deceive people.”
Authorities say the scammers appear to be using stolen or purchased personal data to target a specific demographic with precise school affiliation information—heightening the deception’s credibility.
Countries like India run multiple scholarship schemes to help students progress academically—but these benevolent intentions are now being weaponised by increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals. This scam underscores how easy access to student data, coupled with lower tech literacy among parents, can be exploited at scale.
