Rajasthan Police has issued a public advisory cautioning citizens about a rise in cyber fraud attempts linked to the upcoming digital census initiative by the Central Government. The Cyber Crime Branch, following orders from Additional Director General of Police (Cyber Crime) V.K. Singh, alerted the public that scammers are pretending to be census officials to obtain sensitive personal and financial details from unsuspecting individuals. Cybercriminals are employing various methods to target victims, including making fake calls, impersonating officials, and using fraudulent SMS messages.
Fraudsters are employing three primary methods to target individuals. Firstly, they are making fake calls posing as census officials, asking for personal details like family information, Aadhaar numbers, and bank account information. Victims are often convinced to download screen-sharing apps like AnyDesk or TeamViewer, enabling scammers to access their mobile devices and carry out unauthorized transactions. Secondly, criminals are visiting homes pretending to be survey officials, using tablets to collect household information and requesting one-time passwords that can lead to unauthorized banking transactions. Lastly, fraudulent SMS messages are being sent to citizens, warning them of the suspension of government benefits if they fail to update their census details. These messages contain harmful links that compromise personal and financial data when clicked.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Cyber Crime) Shantanu Kumar Singh clarified that the Government of India has introduced a “Self-Enumeration” facility for the digital census, emphasizing the use of the official website, www.se.census.gov.in. The self-enumeration process will be available from May 1 to May 15, 2026, and is completely free of charge. Any request for money, whether for verification codes, QR codes, or registration, should be considered a clear indication of fraud. Citizens are advised to stay cautious by avoiding suspicious links and messages, refraining from sharing sensitive information with unknown individuals, and verifying the identity of anyone claiming to be involved in census-related activities.
In case of any cyber fraud or attempted fraud, citizens are urged to act promptly by contacting the national cyber fraud helpline number 1930, reaching out to the cyber helpdesk at 9256001930 or 9257510100, reporting the incident on the official portal https://cybercrime.gov.in, or approaching the nearest police or cyber police station.
