Tata Power DDL warns customers of 'cyber fraud', issues advisory

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Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) on June 27 issued an advisory against "cyber fraud", as it warned customers about the emerging cases of smishing or sending of fraudulent SMS using the company's name.

"Miscreants have been sending fraudulent messages to customers misusing company’s name to inform them regarding payment of electricity bill, disconnection or reconnection," said TPDDL, which supplies electricity to a population of over 7 million in North Delhi.

"The company has also lodged an official complaint against these phone numbers and has urged the consumers to beware of such fake SMS/calls as this may also result in financial loss," it added.

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TPDDL noted that it never asks customers to call any unknown number or download any third-party app for disconnection, reconnection or payment of bills.

In its advisory, the company listed how customers can recognise fake messages. The text in smishing cases often involves the use of misspellings or poor grammar, contains a suspicious link, or asks for account and payment information, it said.

The fraudulent messages are often received from a personal number or a suspicious sender-ID, the advisory further stated.