THE Indian Consulate General in Vancouver has issued a warning that “some fraudsters are spoofing Consulate General of India telephone lines to make calls aimed at cheating people.”

The Consulate General said: “Some of these calls are shown as being from the Consulate telephone numbers (+1-604-662-8811) while others use identity of Consulate officials. These fraudsters either try to threaten them or extort money.”

It said: “This is to inform members of the public that officials from the Consulate make no such calls seeking personal information from any Indian or foreign nationals. In case any additional documentation is required from an existing applicant, it is sought only through email(s) originating from the email domain @mea.gov.in or by providing his/her application details.”

It added: “The Consulate General of India hereby advises members of the public to neither entertain such calls nor reveal any personal information or transfer any money. Such matter should immediately be reported to the concerned law and order authorities.”