On Sunday (October 5, 2025) afternoon, a customer of the Indian Oil Adani (IOA) City Gas project at Vennala in the Kochi Corporation received a WhatsApp message warning of service disconnection due to non-payment of a bill. The message also included a contact number.
The anxious customer called the number, but the call was disconnected. This was followed by a WhatsApp call from a man speaking fluent Hindi, who instructed the customer to clear the bill through the IOA app and portal using a card. However, all attempts failed. He then initiated a WhatsApp video call, although the customer was unable to see him.
“He then asked me to send a picture of the back of my card showing the CVV number, which I declined. Instead, I shared the grid number on the back of my card. Immediately, I received an OTP for an online payment of ₹90,000. When I protested, another OTP was generated, this time for ₹50,000. That’s when I realised it was a scam and blocked the number immediately,” said the customer.
It has now emerged that, with the city gas project rapidly expanding across the Corporation limits, scammers appear to be targeting it. Many customers have received similar fraudulent calls, with some even losing money by sharing OTPs or clicking on malicious links sent via WhatsApp. The project is currently active in at least six divisions within the Corporation.
“We’ve received numerous complaints from customers. I’ve issued alerts through broadcast messages on our local WhatsApp groups, urging people to stay vigilant and not fall prey to such frauds,” said C.D. Valsalakumari, councillor of the Vennala division.
The IOA authorities said they were aware of the issue and had already warned customers, including through a notice on their portal. “We conduct spot billing and provide customers with a hard copy of the bill. We don’t disconnect service abruptly. Customers are contacted only when dues exceed ₹5,000, which, for someone with a monthly bill of ₹500, could take up to ten months. Ultimately, it is the customer’s responsibility to stay alert and avoid a backlog,” said an IOA spokesperson.
Mayor M. Anilkumar said he would raise the issue at an upcoming meeting with the IOA authorities.
Francis Thekkethala, joint secretary of the Vennala Sneham Residents Association in Division 42, said scamsters seem to be exploiting the fact that billing for the city gas project has yet to be streamlined. “Many customers haven’t been able to pay their bills for months. So when they’re threatened with service disconnection, they fall for the scam. We’ve been actively spreading awareness through social media groups, urging people not to panic over unpaid bills and assuring them that the dues will be resolved in due course without penalty,” he added.
Published – October 07, 2025 12:38 am IST
