City police caution people about LPG booking scam

Mangaluru City Police warn against LPG booking scams involving fake links; users should book only through official channels.

The Mangaluru City Police have cautioned people about fraudsters’ use of fake links for the booking of LPG cylinders.

In a post on the Instagram page mangalurucitypoliceofficial, police said fraudsters were creating fake LPG booking links and websites and asking for advance payment for the LPG cylinders. The victims find that they have been cheated only when the cylinders are not delivered.

The police have asked people to book cylinders only through official apps or through authorised distributors. Cautioning people against clicking on unknown links, they were also asked not to share any OTPs, their UPI PIN, CVV or bank details with any callers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) H.N. Mithun said no such fraud has been reported in the city so far. Cases of fraudsters sending .apk malware file links disguised as LPG cylinder booking links were being reported in other parts of the State.

On clicking the link, the fraudsters were able to access the mobile phones of the victims. They were using this tactic to unauthorisedly remove money from bank accounts. “As we have seen the trend of fraudsters making use of the present LPG crisis, we have cautioned people regarding this new mode of cheating,” Mr. Mithun said.