The electricity scam powers on with the list of victims growing longer. Powai couple Dinesh and Anita Raheja, aged 65 and 59, respectively, have become victims of the widespread fraud. Dinesh said, “We want people to know our story. There are several people who have been duped and have spoken about their experience. However, not all patterns are the same. There are tweaks in modus operandi, how the scamsters present themselves, what they speak to their targets. It is important to know the different ways in which they win trust and eventually swindle you.”

The pattern

Anita said, “On June 8, we got a message on my husband’s cell phone that read: ‘Dear customer, your electricity will be disconnected at 9.30 pm on 8/6/22 because your previous month’s bill was not updated.’ I rushed and paid the amount through a well-known payment gateway at the Saki Vihar branch of Tata Power in the morning.”