LPG Crisis Sparks New Scam? Viral Post Exposes Video Call Fraud

Amidst national LPG shortages, a Kolkata woman has issued a public warning after fraudsters targeted her mother. The scammers, offering urgent LPG assistance, attempted to gain access to her bank account via a video call, but she detected the fraud and did not share any sensitive information.

With LPG shortages making headlines across India, a Kolkata woman has raised the alarm about a fraud aimed at her mother, advising others to be cautious. According to her post, her mother received calls from two separate numbers, each claiming to give urgent help with LPG. During the conversation, the fraudsters reportedly attempted to persuade her mother to create her bank account via video call. Fortunately, she noticed something was wrong and did not provide any vital information; she did not transfer money or enter her bank PIN.

Taking to social media, the woman wrote, “These numbers called my ma, and scammed her, saying they were offering urgent LPG help. Got her to open her bank account on video call, thankfully she was alert enough not to transfer money to them. Or to type the pin on camera.''

She also tagged the official Bidhannagar Police account, requesting that they look into the situation. Along with the post, she published the phone numbers she used to reach her mother in the hopes of preventing others from becoming victims.

This advisory comes amid persistent delays in India's LPG supply. Several petrol tankers from Gulf nations are allegedly trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. The delays are due to rising tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with Iran apparently intensifying assaults on tankers in the region. As a result, shipping companies have slowed or temporarily halted supplies, allowing for restricted mobility.