Telangana farmers receive fake SMS regarding Rythu Bharosa payments
The Agriculture department has filed a complaint after approximately 2.73 lakh farmers received unauthorised messages about scheme credits.
Nearly 2.73 lakh farmers in Telangana received fraudulent SMS alerts on Wednesday stating that Rythu Bharosa investment support amounts had been deposited into their bank accounts, according to The New Indian Express and Urban Acres.
The messages, which were sent in the name of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, falsely claimed that the state’s Rs 6,000-per-acre rabi assistance had been credited. 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 regarding the incident. He stated that the department had not initiated or authorised any such communication.
The department uses the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) SMS Service Portal for official messages, but no transmissions were made on Wednesday. The complaint suggests there may have been unauthorised access to the department's name, SMS channels, or the CDAC portal.
B Gopi has requested that the cyber crime police investigate the source to identify the responsible individual or entity. He asked for an examination of technical details, including sender IDs, transmission logs, and IP addresses.
The director noted that the unauthorised messages are a serious concern as they could cause confusion among farmers and impact the credibility of the Rythu Bharosa scheme.