Telangana: Fake SMS targets 2.73 lakh farmers regarding Rythu Bharosa
The Agriculture Department has filed a police complaint after farmers received unauthorised messages about scheme payments.
Nearly 2.73 lakh farmers in Telangana received fraudulent SMS alerts on Wednesday stating that Rythu Bharosa investment support funds had been deposited into their bank accounts, according to The New Indian Express and Urban Acres.
The messages falsely claimed that the state's Rs 6,000-per-acre rabi assistance was available. Some farmers visited banks to check their balances but found no such deposits had been made.
Director of Agriculture B Gopi has lodged a complaint with the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau. He stated that the department did not initiate or authorise any such communication.
The Agriculture Department uses the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) SMS Service Portal for official messages, but no transmissions were made on Wednesday. The department noted that the messages were sent in the name of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
B Gopi requested that the cyber crime police investigate the source to identify the responsible individual or entity. He asked for an examination of the CDAC portal and other SMS gateways to check for unauthorised access.
The complaint requested that investigators trace technical details, including sender IDs, transmission logs, and IP addresses. B Gopi said the unauthorised messages could cause confusion and damage the credibility of the department and the scheme.