OMCs warn customers of rising LPG delivery scams demanding OTPs, authentication codes

NEW DELHI — State‑owned oil marketing companies warned of rising cases of LPG delivery scams in which fraudsters impersonate official gas delivery services to extract One‑Time Passwords and Delivery Authentication Codes.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum issued advisories on social media about cyber fraud targeting domestic LPG consumers with fake SMS and WhatsApp messages mimicking delivery notifications. These messages are used to trick customers into sharing One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or Delivery Authentication Codes (DACs).

In several cases, callers posed as gas agency executives seeking KYC updates or Aadhaar linking to avoid "disconnection" of gas connections and then demanded OTPs to “verify” requests.

HPCL notified customers that official delivery messages will come from the sender name 'VM‑HPGASc‑S', contain a four‑digit OTP and are used only at the time of cylinder delivery.

"HP Gas representatives will never ask for OTPs over phone calls, WhatsApp messages, or suspicious links," the post said, adding that "If the message feels urgent, unfamiliar, or looks different from the official format, do not trust it."

Similarly, Indian Oil urged customers to share their 6-digit DAC only with Indane delivery personnel strictly after they reach the doorstep.

BPCL reminded consumers that "sharing OTP only at the time of delivery" is the one rule that keeps them safe.

Further, the oil corporations urged consumers to only book cylinders or update details through their official applications including IndianOil One, HPPay, or Hello BPCL. Verified websites can also be used, but consumers should be wary of communications arriving from personal mobile numbers via WhatsApp.

If customers accidentally share details or lose money, they must call the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 within the "golden hour" window to increase the chances of freezing stolen funds.