DoT warns people against scammers posing as MS Dhoni

New Delhi, April 26: Amid the ongoing cricket fever in the country, scamsters have been posing as Mahendra Singh Dhoni to con people on social media, the Department of Telecom (DoT) said on Friday, warning people against falling into the trap.

The DoT in a post on X, alerted that scamsters are posing as the popular batsman and former Indian cricket team captain, and asking for money on Instagram.

“Hi, I am MS Dhoni, messaging you from my private account. I am currently in the outskirts of Ranchi and I have forgotten my wallet. Could you please transfer ₹600 via PhonePe so I can return home by bus? I will send the money back once I am home," read the Instagram message’s screenshot shared by DoT.

The message also included Dhoni’s “selfie” for “proof”.

“Beware of scammers trying to bowl you out! If anyone claims to be the legendary @msdhoni seeking bus tickets, it's a googly you don't want to catch,” the DoT said, sharing the viral post on X that has so far garnered 332.1K views.

“Report them faster than @msdhoni's stumpings on Chakshu at #SancharSaathi,” it added.

DoT’s Sanchar Saathi portal is a web portal aimed to help Indian mobile users track and block lost smartphones and identity theft, forged KYC, using the CEIR module.