Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: The citizens of the country are being targeted in a new scam, with officials going through the voter list revision exercise which is done annually before the 2026 elections. It is evident that many individuals have been receiving unsolicited calls in which the people are claiming to be representatives of the government. Such fraudsters assert that they are verifying information involving the SIR (Survey/Specific Information Report) form and that an OTP which is sent to the phone of the citizen needs to be forwarded immediately.
The risk is in the fact that the true SIR process does not presuppose any OTP or digital confirmation or even SMS-based approval. BLOs do visit households, may get phone numbers and Aadhaar numbers, however, no section of the official voter roll update entails a verification code being sent. This is one of the most important details that would help in avoiding scams.
Citizens have received calls by fraudsters impersonating members of the verification team during the voter roll revision. They are making claims falsely that voter details are updated and OTP dispatched to confirm the same. After an individual gives out the OTP, internet fraudsters may abuse it to gain access to account or personal details. Authorities have made it clear that it is completely an offline process that does not involve any step that involves OTP.
In case someone makes a call requesting an OTP with updates on the voter list, the best action is to decline and hang up. BLOs do nothing more than make personal visits, complete the SIR form, and send it. No SMS validation, no digital authentication, and no broadcast to provide any code.
The scams are becoming increasingly advanced and sometimes fraudsters make it seem like there is a sense of urgent. In case of any suspiciousness or out of place, pause and check it out through official channels before reacting. Being aware and alert would serve as a preventative measure of severe financial or personal information loss.
