Secretariat staffers hit by flurry of fake int’l calls Fear Their Personal Data Hacked From Govt Records

Secretariat staffers hit by flurry of fake int’l calls Fear Their Personal Data Hacked From Govt Records 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 05.12.2024  BHOPAL 

Bhopal : Employees of the Madhya Pradesh state secretariat are receiving an alarming flurry of fake calls and missed calls from international numbers. The numbers being targeted are those registered with the govt. The employees’ union has complained about this to the general administration department. At least 60 employees have complained through the union, fearing that their database is being hacked or leaked from govt records. The employees union reported that for the past few days, a number of employees in the secretariat are receiving international calls on their mobile numbers. The employees who received the calls were asked to click on different numbers on their mobile keypad if they wanted to continue mobile service. Many employees did not answer the calls for fear of being conned. 

On Nov 19, many secretariat employees received calls simultaneously from international numbers. When the employees searched the numbers on the Internet, they found they were from the US, South Africa, Arab countries, and other countries. This has been ongoing for the past few days. On Friday, retired govt employees and pensioners al so received similar fake calls. The employees union stated that such suspicious international calls are coming only to those numbers registered with the general administration dept. 

Those employees or officials who have more than one number have received calls only on the number they provided to the govt. The officers and employees brought this complaint to the notice of the employees union. Employees fear that the data of officers and employees secured with the govt has been leaked to fraudsters.

The employees union has submitted a memorandum in this regard to the general administration dept and has demanded an inquiry into the matter. The list of numbers on which the calls have been received has also been submitted to the govt. Breaching the data secured with the govt, if it has happened, is a serious matter, the employees stated. Sudhir Nayak, president, Mantralaya Seva Adhikari/ Karmchari Sangh, said it is a serious matter and needs immediate govt attention. At least 60 employees have contacted him and complained in this regard. Similar complaints were received from pensioners too. Govt data and records must be protected from being compromised, he added. 

Secretariat staff attend fire safety drill Bhopal : A fire drill was conducted at the state secretariat recently. The employees were briefed on how to use fire extinguishers and react in case of a fire incident. The drive was conducted under the supervision of Vallabh Bhawan chief security officer, Avinash Sharma. A similar drive was conducted in Satpura Bhawan and Vindhyanchal Bhawan recently. Employees were briefed on how to attend to those injured in the fire until medical assistance arrives. Close to a hundred employees were present when the fire personnel briefed them during the fire drill. Vallabh Bhawan I building caught a major fire on Mar 9. The alertness has been stepped up after the incident.