Government Alerts Railway Pensioners About Ongoing Scam
Warning Issued to Railway Pensioners
The central government has alerted railway pensioners regarding a scam where fraudsters are posing as railway officials. These scammers are reportedly using SMS, WhatsApp, and phone calls to trick individuals into updating pension payment orders (PPOs) or verifying their service records. The Railways Ministry has made it clear that any solicitation for personal or financial information, such as bank details or OTPs, is a scam. They emphasized, “No Railway official is permitted to request bank information, OTPs, passwords, or any sensitive data through phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media. Pensioners should stay alert and inform their family members about this issue,” as stated in an official announcement.
Pensioners are urged not to respond to unsolicited messages or calls. Any suspicious communications should be reported immediately to the Police Cyber Cell and the relevant administrative office. The ministry reiterated that legitimate railway officials do not send links for updating PPOs or service records.
Enhancing Cybersecurity Measures in Railways
Alongside these warnings, Indian Railways has made significant strides in enhancing cybersecurity. Initiatives include Aadhaar-based authentication, multi-layer security protocols, and anti-fraud systems. As a result, the ministry has deactivated over 3.03 crore suspicious user IDs in train ticket bookings in 2025, ensuring that legitimate users can book tickets without issues.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reported that malicious bot requests worth Rs 6,043 crore were blocked within six months leading up to December 2025. He noted that 376 complaints regarding 3.99 lakh suspicious bookings were lodged on the National Cyber Crime Portal, and 12,819 dubious email domains were blocked. To prevent the misuse of Tatkal ticket bookings, Aadhaar-based OTP verification has been introduced, ensuring instant verification of each user's identity. Additional measures, including OWASP security protocols and a Content Delivery Network (CDN), have been implemented to manage system traffic and enhance performance for genuine passengers.