To cover the losses, successive governments increased electricity prices and imposed a surcharge of Rs 3.23 per unit to repay debts incurred with power distribution companies, pushing power prices to the highest levels in the region. Photo: file
ISLAMABAD:
The Energy Division of the Ministry of Energy on Friday warned electricity consumers against fraudulent schemes involving fake links and QR codes released by criminal elements to steal personal data under the guise of the government’s electricity subsidy program.
In an advisory, the Power Division said consumers were tricked into clicking on suspicious links and going through a four-step process requiring 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 Energy Division spokesperson said some elements were also using QR codes to pursue “malicious goals”, emphasizing that no electricity bill information could be submitted on any platform other than the official government system.
The spokesperson clarified that such collection of consumer information outside of authorized channels was illegal and confirmed that law enforcement had been informed of those involved in the fraudulent activities.
Citizens have been advised not to provide any information, digitally or on paper, for grant purposes outside of officially designated platforms.
Furthermore, the spokesperson said that a technical problem affecting the official website for two days had been resolved after increasing the server capacity. He added that the QR registration system was working normally and more than one million users had already completed their registration process.
The spokesperson further explained that households with multiple electricity meters registered under the names of different family members were counted as separate families within the system.
