Older residents in Guwahati are increasingly falling prey to cyber scammers using official-looking details to manipulate trust, highlighting the need for heightened awareness and protective measures.
Cyber fraud is increasingly preying on older residents of Guwahati, where police say scammers are using pension records, medical cards and other official-sounding details to persuade victims to surrender control of their phones and bank accounts. The tactic depends on trust and familiarity: a call that appears to concern a benefit, account update or hospital card can sound routine enough to lower suspicion.
According to the Assam Tribune, cybercrime officials in the city say people aged 50 to 60 and above, especially those who are less comfortable with technology, are among the most vulnerable. One victim said fraudsters contacted him with a warning that his ONGC medical card would expire unless he updated it immediately. He said they knew his CPF reference number and medical insurance details, which made the call appear legitimate. The scammers then asked him to share his screen on a video call, download an APK file and enter card details and PIN information.
The victim said he broke off the call when he became suspicious and rang his bank to block the account, but he later discovered that his email had already been compromised. Another man said the fraudsters first established that he was a pensioner before asking for personal and financial information, after which his money disappeared. Officers at Guwahati’s cyber police station said the cases reflect a wider pattern in which older and less tech-savvy people are singled out because they are more likely to trust callers who use technical language and personal data.
The problem is not confined to Assam. Reporting from South Asia has described similar scams in which older adults are targeted through impersonation, blackmail and romance fraud, while broader law-enforcement data in the United States shows how attractive older victims are to criminals because they often have savings and may be less likely to spot digital deception quickly. Guwahati police said the basic defences remain the same: never share bank details or one-time passwords, and never install an APK file sent by an unknown caller. Once access is granted, officers warned, fraudsters can take control of the device itself.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
