Electricity Bill Scam on WhatsApp & SMS — Recovery & Reporting Guide (2026)

“Dear customer, your electricity will be disconnected today at 9:30 PM as your bill is unpaid. Call 9XXXXXXXXX immediately.” — this SMS or WhatsApp message is now the single most common utility scam in India. The phone number leads to an “officer” who installs a remote-access app and drains your bank account in minutes. This page is the 30-second verification + recovery playbook.

Citizen Crisis Response Network — verification rule
Real DISCOMs in India never threaten 24/7-hour disconnections via personal-mobile SMS. They use registered DLT IDs (e.g., BSESDR, MSEDCL, TPDDLP) and only after multi-month written notice.

Electricity disconnection threats over WhatsApp / SMS / personal mobile numbers in India are scams. Real DISCOMs (BSES, Tata Power, Adani Electricity, MSEDCL, TNEB, KESCO, KSEB) send bills through their registered DLT sender IDs, the official app, or printed bill at your meter. Verify by logging into the DISCOM's official portal or app directly (not from any link in the SMS). If you have already paid or shared remote-access (AnyDesk / TeamViewer / RustDesk), call 1930, file at cybercrime.gov.in, block the debit card, and email your bank within 24 hours under RBI's 2017 framework.

• How the electricity scam runs
• Five red flags in 30 seconds
• Verify the bill in 2 minutes
• The 30-minute recovery drill
• Sample complaint to your DISCOM
• What not to do
• Can compensation be claimed?
• FAQ

1. Bait — SMS / WhatsApp from a 10-digit number (not a DLT ID): “Your bill of ₹XXX is unpaid. Disconnection in 2 hours. Call 9XXXXXXXXX.”
2. Trap — You call. The “officer” says the bill is “stuck in the system” and asks you to install AnyDesk / Quick Support / RustDesk to “verify your meter ID.” Or sends an APK or a UPI “₹1 verification.”
3. Drain — While you watch the screen, the attacker triggers UPI / net-banking on the side, captures the OTP through screen-share, and empties accounts.

The defining signature: personal mobile number in the SMS + time pressure + request for screen-share or UPI verification.

Citizen tip — If even one red flag is present, treat the message as a scam. Do not call the number in the SMS. Verify only by logging into your DISCOM's official app or portal.

1. Open the DISCOM's app or portal directly — examples:
   • Delhi BSES: bsesdelhi.com / BSES Connect app
   • Tata Power-DDL: tatapower-ddl.com
   • Adani Electricity Mumbai: adanielectricity.com
   • MSEDCL: mahadiscom.in / Mahavitaran app
   • TNEB: tnebltd.gov.in
   • KESCO: kescoonline.com
   • BESCOM: bescom.org
   • KSEB: kseb.in
2. Login with your consumer / connection number — usually printed on every prior bill.
3. Check current dues — disputed amount, due date, last paid date.
4. Look at notice history — real disconnection always preceded by 15-30-day written notice.
5. If the portal shows no dues, the SMS is a scam. Block + report.

If your DISCOM is not listed, search “<state> electricity board official site” — and only click the result that matches the official ``.gov.in`` / ``.com`` domain printed on your prior bill.

If you already (a) called the number, (b) installed an app, © paid a “verification” amount, or (d) shared an OTP:

1. Disconnect data / power off the phone if AnyDesk-class app is installed
2. Change net-banking password from a different device
3. Block the debit card via the bank app or 24×7 number
4. Disable / de-register UPI in every UPI app on the device
5. Call 1930 within 90 minutes; note the cyber-helpline complaint number
6. File at cybercrime.gov.in with the SMS screenshot, APK file (if you can extract it), bank statement
7. Email your bank's “report unauthorised transaction” form quoting the 1930 number — invoke RBI's 2017 framework
8. Factory-reset the phone if any sideloaded APK was installed
9. DISCOM — call the official number and inform them of the impersonation
10. Local police FIR — under BNS 2024 §316 + §319 + IT Act §66D

Emergency step — Most “verification UPI ₹1” links are spoofed payment QRs that auto-fill ₹50,000+ on the second tap. Always check the payee name on the UPI confirmation screen before entering PIN.

To,
The Customer Service Officer,
[DISCOM Name], [Division / Sub-division]

Subject: Complaint of impersonation and electricity-bill scam SMS —
request for public advisory and verification — Consumer no. [______]

Sir / Madam,

I, [Full name], holder of consumer connection [number] for the premises
at [address], received a fraudulent SMS / WhatsApp message dated [date]
at [time] purporting to be from your DISCOM, threatening disconnection
within [X] hours and asking me to call [number].

The message did not originate from your registered DLT sender ID. The
phone number provided is not listed on your official portal /
customer-care contacts.

I have:
  1. Filed a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in (Reference: ___) and
     called 1930 (Reference: ___).
  2. Reported the SMS at sancharsaathi.gov.in → Chakshu (Reference: ___).
  3. [If money was lost] Filed a written request to my bank under RBI's
     Master Direction on Limiting Liability of Customers, 2017
     (Reference: ___).

I request the DISCOM to:
  a) Issue a public advisory on impersonation / scam SMSes.
  b) Confirm in writing that no disconnection notice has been issued
     against my consumer number.
  c) Coordinate with the cyber cell on impersonation under
     IT Act §66D and BNS 2024 §316 / §319.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, Name]
[Phone, Email, Date]

• Do not call the number printed in the SMS / WhatsApp.
• Do not install AnyDesk, TeamViewer, QuickSupport, RustDesk, or any APK on a “DISCOM officer's” instruction.
• Do not scan a QR code sent over SMS / WhatsApp claiming to be a “verification.”
• Do not enter UPI PIN on any “₹1 verification” screen — payment apps never require PIN to receive money.
• Do not delay the FIR / 1930 call out of embarrassment — recovery is time-sensitive.

• Bank refund — RBI Master Direction 2017 (refund if reported within 3 working days)
• Banking Ombudsman — RB-IOS 2021 at cms.rbi.org.in if bank stalls
• Consumer court — for negligence (e.g., bank ignored unusual large debit alert)
• DISCOM apology + advisory — for letting the impersonation persist; raise via RTI / consumer forum if not addressed
• Telecom / DLT trace — TRAI / DoT can fine the originating telemarketer if reported via Chakshu

1. 0–2 min — Verify dues by logging into the DISCOM portal directly
2. 2–10 min — If money moved: change net-banking password; block debit card; de-register UPI
3. 10–20 min — Call 1930; file at cybercrime.gov.in
4. 20–30 min — Email bank's “report unauthorised transaction” with all references
5. +24 h — DISCOM written complaint; FIR at local station
6. +72 h — RBI bank-dispute window for any debit

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• Q: Can the electricity board really disconnect in 2 hours?
  No. Disconnection requires written notice (typically 15-30 days) under State Electricity Regulatory Commission rules.
• Q: Why does the SMS know my address / consumer number?
  Public databases — prior leaks of bill repositories, e-commerce delivery addresses. Knowledge of address is not proof of authenticity.
• Q: Will the bank refund a “₹1 verification” that became ₹50,000?
  Yes, possibly — under RBI 2017 framework if you reported within 3 working days. Show the screen-share / APK pattern as deceit.
• Q: Should I forward the SMS to friends as a warning?
  Yes — but redact your consumer number. Forward also to PIB Fact Check (WhatsApp +91-8799711259) and Sancharsaathi → Chakshu.
• Q: Is “verify your meter ID by SMS” ever a real DISCOM ask?
  Never. DISCOMs verify meter IDs through field staff or your authenticated app session.

“Electricity bill SMS scam.” · “Is BSES disconnection SMS real?” · “What to do if I called electricity scam number?” · “Bijli kat scam India.” · “AnyDesk scam recovery.”

[Decision tree] "Got disconnection SMS"
DLT ID + multi-month due in app? → maybe genuine → call DISCOM official number
Personal mobile + 2-hour deadline? → SCAM → block + report

[Anatomy] "Electricity scam — 3 stages"
1. SMS bait      (sender mismatch + time pressure)
2. AnyDesk trap  (screen-share + UPI capture)
3. Bank drain   (₹1 → ₹50k via spoofed QR)

[Authority ladder] DISCOM official portal → 1930 → cybercrime.gov.in
                  → bank dispute → RBI Ombudsman → Consumer Forum

• Fake KYC update scam
• Fake police notice PDF scam
• UPI fraud recovery
• Block lost / stolen SIM
• Money sent to wrong account
• Fake Aadhaar update website fraud
• Banking Ombudsman complaint guide
• RTI for electricity bill dispute

• MHA — National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in · 1930
• DoT — Sancharsaathi → Chakshu for fraud SMS reports
• PIB Fact Check: factcheck.pib.gov.in · WhatsApp +91-8799711259
• State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) for tariff / disconnection rules
• Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for technical standards
• RBI Master Direction on Limiting Liability of Customers, 2017
• RBI Banking Ombudsman: cms.rbi.org.in
• TRAI for DLT non-compliance
• BNS 2024 §316 (personation), §318 (cheating with property), §319 (cheating)
• IT Act 2000 §66C (identity theft), §66D (impersonation)

++++ Why does the SMS look so real? | Because impersonators clone the DISCOM's bill format. Even logo + colour scheme can be perfect. Authenticity is judged by sender ID + portal verification, not by visual similarity. ++++

++++ I paid a small ₹10 — is the scam over? | The ₹10 is the trigger, not the loss. The next step (often within minutes) is screen-share + bigger drain. Treat ₹10 as the alarm and run the 30-minute drill anyway. ++++

++++ Can DISCOMs send WhatsApp messages? | Some do — but only after you opt in through their app or portal, and always with the registered business number (verified WhatsApp Business badge). A random 10-digit WhatsApp claim is a scam. ++++

++++ Is the AnyDesk app itself illegal? | No — it's a legitimate remote-support tool. The fraud is in being tricked into giving the access code to a stranger. Uninstall it after use; never run it on a banker / DISCOM officer's request. ++++

++++ How do I check my real bill due date? | DISCOM app → Bill summary; the printed bill at your meter; or call the official customer-care number printed on the bill (not the SMS). ++++

Electricity scams exploit fear of darkness — literal and bureaucratic. The whole trap collapses if you spend two minutes verifying through your DISCOM's own portal. Save your DISCOM's official customer-care number on a paper note, never call back numbers in unsolicited SMSes, and treat every “₹1 verification” as the opening bid in a drain. Share this page with elderly relatives — they are the most-targeted demographic in this scam.

This page is part of RTI Wiki's Citizen Crisis Response Network. Updates tracked through MHA / I4C advisories, PIB Fact Check, and SERC public notices.