The firm has reported significant financial losses and reputational damage, with thousands of users receiving fraudulent messages and at least 13 victims identified so far. | Photo credit: Getty Images
The Whitefield Division of the Cyber Crime Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly spreading fraudulent SMS messages on behalf of a Bengaluru-based technology firm, causing a major disruption to its communication systems.
According to a complaint filed by the company’s authorized representative, on April 23, it began receiving alerts from its buyers about fake messages that appeared to come from the company. The fraudulent SMS allegedly promised a credit of ₹10,001 and contained shortened links directing the recipient to an external website. Preliminary findings suggest the links were redirecting users to a purported online betting platform, raising concerns of a wider cyber fraud targeting the public.
The company, which is registered on the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform regulated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, said that only pre-approved templates and whitelisted links can be sent through its registered sender ID. The company denied sending any such messages.
On April 27, the DLT system blacklisted the company’s SMS templates citing misuse and subsequently suspended the sender ID. Telecom operators subsequently blocked all outgoing messages from the company, including OTPs and transaction alerts. By evening, the firm’s entire DLT account was suspended after complaints were registered on TRAI’s Chakshu platform, the complaint said.
As a result, all of the company’s SMS-based services remained down from April 27, affecting customer communications and business operations, the company said. The firm has reported significant financial losses and reputational damage, with thousands of users receiving fraudulent messages and at least 13 victims identified so far.
Police said the case involves suspected spoofing and misuse of a government-regulated telecommunications framework. Investigators are working to trace the origin of the messages and identify those responsible.
Published – 06 May 2026 19:48 IST
