Scammers have found a new way to scam people amid ongoing IPL in India. They are now posing as former India cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to con people on social media. The Department of Telecommunication has taken the cognition of the matter and has warned people against falling into the trap.
The DoT in a post on X, alerted that scamsters are posing as the popular batsman and former Indian cricket team captain, and asking for money on Instagram.
“Hi, I am MS Dhoni, messaging you from my private account. I am currently in the outskirts of Ranchi and I have forgotten my wallet. Could you please transfer ₹600 via PhonePe so I can return home by bus? I will send the money back once I am home," read the Instagram message’s screenshot shared by DoT.
The message also included Dhoni’s “selfie” for “proof”.
“Beware of scammers trying to bowl you out! If anyone claims to be the legendary @msdhoni seeking bus tickets, it's a googly you don't want to catch,” the DoT said, sharing the viral post on X that has so far garnered 332.1K views.
“Report them faster than @msdhoni's stumpings on Chakshu at #SancharSaathi,” it added.
DoT’s Sanchar Saathi portal is a web portal aimed to help Indian mobile users track and block lost smartphones and identity theft, forged KYC, using the CEIR module.
Meanwhile, the Department of Telecommunications has also recently issued an advisory for the public regarding spoof calls that are being made in the name of DoT. These callers are posing threats and causing panic among citizens by falsely claiming that their mobile numbers will be disconnected or are being used for illegal activities. Their main motive is to extract personal information for committing cybercrime and financial fraud. In light of this, the department has urged citizens to remain vigilant and not to share their personal information with anyone.
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Inputs from IANS
