To cover losses, successive governments have hiked electricity prices and imposed a surcharge of Rs 3.23 per Photo: file
ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Energy’s electricity department warned electricity consumers on Friday that fraudulent schemes involving fake links and QR codes are being circulated by criminal elements to steal personal data under the guise of the government’s electricity subsidy programme.
In a statement, the Power Division said consumers were lured into clicking on suspicious links and completing a four-step process that requires them to share personal information before entering a six-digit verification code.
Officials warned that such methods were being used to illegally obtain sensitive consumer data.
The Power Division spokesperson said some elements were also using QR codes to pursue “malicious objectives” and stressed that no electricity bill-related information could be submitted on any platform other than the government’s official system.
The spokesperson clarified that any such collection of consumer information outside of authorized channels was illegal and confirmed that law enforcement authorities had been informed of those involved in the fraudulent activities.
Citizens were advised not to provide any information, digital or paper, for subsidy purposes outside officially designated platforms.
Separately, the spokesman said a technical issue that affected the official website for two days had now been resolved after server capacity was improved. He added that the QR registration system was working normally and that more than one million users had already completed their registration process.
The spokesman further explained that households with multiple electricity meters registered under the names of different family members were counted as separate families in the system.
