TL;DR: A message saying your electricity will be disconnected tonight unless you call an "officer" or pay a pending bill is a scam. Power utilities including MSEDCL, PSPCL and Nagaland's Department of Power have said they do not send such alerts from personal numbers, and genuine notices carry your consumer ID, name and billed amount. The real damage usually starts when the caller asks you to install an app.

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The message is short and frightening: your power will be cut tonight because last month's bill was not updated, and an "electricity officer" is waiting on the number below. Versions of it have circulated across Indian states for years, and utilities keep issuing warnings.

How the scam runs

  1. The message arrives by SMS or WhatsApp from an ordinary-looking mobile number, with a deadline such as 9:30 pm tonight. The Tribune reported that 22 residents of one city received it within days, sent from disposable numbers.
  2. You call the number. The "officer" says the previous bill was not updated and offers to fix it right now.
  3. You are asked to install an app "from the power corporation" or to pay a small amount through a link.
  4. The app is the trap. In one case reported by The Tribune, a 66-year-old retired officer installed a remote-access app called Quick Support. A first debit of ₹3,230 was followed by transactions of ₹49,000 and ₹50,000 that he never made, about ₹1.2 lakh in total.

Remote-access apps let the caller see your screen, your SMS codes and your UPI app. If that has happened to you, our guide to recovering after giving remote access covers the steps.

What the utilities themselves say

How to check your bill safely

The same pressure tactic drives KYC update scam calls and UPI QR code scams. And if you searched for a helpline yourself and landed on a fake one, read about fake customer care numbers.

If you already called or installed an app

  1. Uninstall the app and turn off mobile data and Wi-Fi on that phone.
  2. Call your bank from another phone and block cards and UPI.
  3. Change your banking, UPI and email passwords once the phone is clean.
  4. Call 1930 and file at the cybercrime portal. See the golden hour fund-freeze guide.

FAQs

Is the "electricity will be disconnected tonight" message real?

No. Utilities in several states have said they do not send such threats from personal mobile numbers. The number in the message belongs to the scammer, not an electricity officer.

How do I check if my electricity bill is really pending?

Log in on your electricity distribution company's official website or app with your consumer number, or call the helpline printed on your paper bill. Do not use any number or link from the message.

Why does the caller ask me to install an app?

The app is usually a remote-access tool. It lets the caller see your screen, read SMS codes and operate your banking or UPI apps while you watch.

I paid a small amount to the number. What now?

Tell your bank immediately, change your passwords and UPI PIN, and report it on 1930 or the national cybercrime portal. Do not pay any further amounts, because scammers ask for more.

Who should I report the fake message to?

Report it on the national cybercrime portal or by calling 1930, and inform your electricity distribution company so it can warn other consumers.

Scammers pick targets from leaked and scraped numbers, so check what is public about yours with the free digital footprint checker.

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Sources

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