Barely a day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government launched the ‘Mukh Mantri Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna’, cyber fraudsters have begun exploiting the scheme to target women by circulating fake registration links and messages.
Residents across the state have reported receiving WhatsApp messages and phone calls asking them to register for the scheme. After gaining their trust, fraudsters allegedly share a link and ask people to register for the scheme.
In certain cases, people are receiving messages wherein they are being told that in order to process the application and receive money under the scheme within 24 hours, they should click the link below.
This link contains APK files or screen-mirroring software that can hack mobile devices.
Once the person clicks on the link, their phone is hacked, and the hackers snoop through the mobile phone and siphon money from victims’ bank account.
Following multiple cyber fraud cases, Punjab Police launched an awareness campaign, urging people not to click on suspicious links or share bank account details or other personal information with unknown callers.
However, the police have not yet disclosed how many women have received such messages, how many have been cheated and how many complaints have been reported.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched the scheme on July 1 through a dedicated web portal. Under the scheme, Mann announced the direct transfer of three months’ Satkar Raashi into the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries, with every woman receiving Rs 3,000 and women from the Scheduled Caste category receiving Rs 4,500.
Sharing details of the scheme, Mann said women beneficiaries above 18 years of age would receive financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month, while women from the Scheduled Caste would receive Rs 1,500 per month.
“The funds will be transferred directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts. Women already receiving social security pensions will also be eligible under the scheme. Around 97 per cent of women in Punjab are expected to benefit, and the state government has earmarked Rs 9,300 crore for the scheme in the Budget,” he said.
To avail the benefits, applicants should visit Sewa Kendras or local municipal offices with Aadhaar, Punjab Voter ID, bank passbook and, where applicable, a caste certificate.
A Superintendent of Police (SP)-level officer from the Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division said that the social media post was just an advisory to create public awareness.
The officer clarified that, so far, no case of cyber fraud involving the misuse of the Mukh Mantri Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna has been reported.
Link of the police advisory: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Fm1YFUmcJ/
