Raj Bhavan issued an alert on Wednesday, asking people to beware of cyber frauds, after noticing several attempts at financial scams where fraudsters posed as representatives of governor C.V. Ananda Bose.
Raj Bhavan has already communicated with Kolkata Police in this connection and urged people to be cautious of any social media communication asking for money
on behalf of the governor’s office.
“Incidents of attempted cyber fraud have come to the notice of Rajbhavan, where scammers are posing as representatives of the Governor of West Bengal and demanding money under false pretences and citing different reasons/offers. These fraudulent activities are being carried out through phone calls, emails, and social media messages,” reads the advisory.
“The Governor’s Office urges the public to exercise caution and remain vigilant. We would like to clarify that the Governor’s Office does not solicit money from individuals for any reason through unofficial channels. Any communication claiming to be from the Governor’s Office requesting financial assistance or personal details is likely fraudulent,” the advisory added.
A source at Raj Bhavan said that during a recent social media survey, they discovered fraudulent activities using the name of the Bengal governor’s office, where fraudsters approached ordinary people through various messaging platforms, seeking money.
“We have found around 20 such instances where the fraudsters were asking for money from people while claiming to be officials or representatives of the governor. We have compiled a list of these cases and forwarded the file to the police for action,” said an official at Raj Bhavan, adding that the issue had been first noticed in July.
The trend of fraudulent activities on social media, such as creating fake profiles of prominent personalities or senior government and police officials to demand money, has increased in recent times. Fraudsters often approach social media contacts of these personalities and demand money, citing emergency requirements.
Although such fraudulent activities have been reported from different offices and public figures, this is the first known instance of fraudsters misusing the name of Raj Bhavan in Bengal.
Recently, Uttar Pradesh police had filed a case after discovering a website fraudulently using the name of UP governor Anandiben Patel to cheat people.
“They are simply demanding money by misusing Raj Bhavan’s name. This appeared very alarming for the governor, and the advisory was issued to alert the public so that no one falls victim to such fraudsters,” said an official.
In the advisory, Raj Bhavan requested people to verify the authenticity of any profile before responding and not to share personal details. If such incidents occur, people have been urged to report them to their local cybercrime police station. The advisory also included a link to the Union government’s cybercrime department for reporting such activities.
A senior officer of the Kolkata Police said they had received the complaint on July 17, after which an investigation had started.
“However, no one was arrested till Wednesday,” said the police officer.