The Rythu Bharosa scheme provides financial support to farmers in Telangana. Messages about government payments can create confusion when farmers receive information that does not match their bank records.
On Wednesday, fake SMS messages claiming that ₹12,000 per acre had been credited under the scheme reached farmers across the State. Many checked their bank accounts but found no payments.
The Telangana Agriculture Department clarified that the government had not released the funds and had not authorised the messages. According to a C-DAC portal report, around 2,73,128 farmers received these messages.
Agriculture Director B Gopi lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime police, seeking an investigation into the messages. The department suspects that its name may have been misused through unauthorised access to SMS services.
The complaint seeks details about the source of the messages and those responsible for sending them.
Meanwhile, farmers have been advised to trust only official announcements. They should also avoid suspicious links and never share bank details or OTPs in response to such messages.
