Pune: PCMC Warns Residents of Fraudulent SMS Scam Amid Water Tax Collection Drive
Pimpri Chinchwad, 30th January 2025: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued an urgent warning to residents about a fraudulent SMS scam circulating in the city, as the civic body continues its efforts to collect pending water taxes.
PCMC is currently disconnecting water connections of properties with outstanding water taxes. However, fraudulent SMS messages are being sent to residents, falsely claiming their water connections will be cut off by 9 PM the same day. These fake messages are signed by “Devesh Joshi, municipal corporation officer” and provide contact numbers 9309445824/9325848115. PCMC officials urge citizens to ignore these fraudulent messages and not fall victim to the scam.
Avinash Shinde, Assistant Commissioner of the Taxation and Collection Department at PCMC, stated, “PCMC’s Taxation and Tax Collection Department has initiated a campaign for recovering pending water tax. Authorized SMS are sent to citizens from official systems and numbers. At no point are citizens asked to pay water tax via random mobile numbers.”
PCMC advises residents to not download any applications through links provided in suspicious messages. They should disregard any SMS or WhatsApp messages asking to update information through unfamiliar applications. For any queries regarding water bills or personal information, residents should contact the official PCMC helpline at 8888006666.
The civic body has been actively working on water tax collection since December, having disconnected 607 water connections due to unpaid dues and collecting over Rs 53 crore in outstanding water tax payments.
