SIR fraud alert! Lessons from Bengaluru man's ₹3.49 lakh mistake — How fake ECI officials may scam you; how to be safe

An 82-year-old man in Bengaluru was duped of ₹3.49 lakh in the name of verifying the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) form. The revision of the electoral roll/voter list, or the SIR, is currently underway in several states, including Karnataka.

Fraudsters who posed as Election Commission of India (ECI) officials tricked R Parthasarathy (82) into downloading a fake verification form under SIR.

Here's what happened

R Parthasarathy, a resident of Rustum Bagh in East Bengaluru, reportedly received a phone call from a person who claimed to be an ECI official.

The caller told him that his SIR form verification was incomplete and needed to be completed immediately to avoid any issue with his voter registration, Deccan Herald reported.

The fraudster allegedly asked him to pay a processing fee of ₹5 and directed him to download a fake mobile application to complete the verification.

When the payment failed, the caller sent a QR code via WhatsApp, claiming it was necessary to complete the process.

The fraudulent app and QR code enabled the scammers to gain access to the victim's mobile phone and banking details, police told Deccan Herald.

They then carried out unauthorized transactions on his credit card, siphoning off ₹3.49 lakh.

After realising he had been cheated, Parthasarathy approached the Jeevan Beema Nagar police and alerted the National Cyber Crime Helpline.

A case was registered, and an investigation is underway.

Experts warn against SIR scam

The Cyberabad Police, Hyderabad, and cybercrime expert Rakshit Tandon warned against scams carried out by fraudsters in the name of SIR. They explained the modus operandi and how one can counter these scamsters.

The Cyberabad Police said in a post on Instagram that fraudsters may impersonate Election Officials and ask for people for their personal details, documents, OTPs, or money in the name of SIR verification.

✔️ They may contact you pretending to be EC officials

✔️ They may ask for personal details or documents: Don't share

✔️ They may ask you to make a payment for verification: Don't send any money

✔️ They may send links or apps: Don't click

They clarified that SIR verification is conducted only through official government channels. Offering advice on how to secure oneself from these scamsters, police said:

❌ Never share personal information or make payments to unknown callers.

❌ Do not click on suspicious links or download unknown apps.

Meanwhile, expert Rakshit Tandon explained how cybercriminals are misusing the ongoing SIR of voter lists to cheat citizens.

In a Facebook post, Tandon said cybercriminals call citizens pretending to be:

✔️ BLO / Election Officer

✔️ Voter List Verification Team

✔️ Govt Department

Then they send a WhatsApp link saying:

❌ “Update your voter details under SIR”

❌ “Download new voter slip”

❌ “Complete KYC for voter ID”

These actions are done only through the official government website and channels, and not through social media platforms such as WhatsApp.

✔️ Election Commission NEVER sends APK files

✔️ Voter verification NEVER happens on WhatsApp

✔️ No payment is required for SIR verification

Tandon strictly advised people not to download any APK file or click on any suspicious link sent by an unknown caller. These fake apps secretly steal:

🔐 Personal data

📸 Photos & contacts

💳 UPI & banking info

📲 Full access to your phone

How to stay safe?

Tandon listed a few measures following which people can stay safe from these scams:

✔️ Only use official apps/websites

✔️ Report scams to 1930 / cybercrime.gov.in

✔️ Do not click on links or download unknown apps