While scams related to PAN card and bank app updates have become common, a new fraud involving fake messages asking people to update their MGL gas connection bills has emerged. In one such case, a 61-year-old man from Borivali was defrauded of ₹3.40 lakh by a cybercriminal. The Borivali police have registered a case under sections related to fraud and IT Act violations and have begun searching for the culprits.
Rajiv Bhaskar Mohorikar, a 61-year-old fruit seller from the Gorai area in Borivali, became a victim of this scam. On Sunday morning, at around 10 a.m., he received a message from an unknown person instructing him to update his MGL gas connection bill to continue using the service. Soon after, he got a call from the same individual, who told him that his gas connection would be disconnected if the bill wasn’t updated. The caller then guided him to download an app named "MGL Bill Update" from the Play Store.
Though Mohorikar initially faced issues downloading the app, the scammer helped him change his phone settings to allow the download. Once the app was installed, the scammer asked him to enter his bank account details. Following the scammer's instructions, Mohorikar provided his personal information. Despite not receiving any OTPs from his bank, several transactions were made from his account, and ₹3.40 lakh was debited through his credit card.
Mohorikar realized he had been duped only when he received notifications about the withdrawals. He immediately visited the Borivali police station with his wife to report the incident. Based on his complaint, the police have registered a case against the unidentified cyber fraudster and are actively investigating the matter.
The authorities have urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid sharing personal information over the phone or through unknown apps.