The government on Wednesday advised railway pensioners to remain vigilant against scammers who are sending messages claiming to update pension payment orders (PPOs) or service records.
The Railways Ministry said that it has come to notice that certain cyber fraudsters are making fake phone calls and sending SMS/WhatsApp messages in the name of Railway officials, “seeking personal and financial details on the pretext of PPO updates, KYC verification, additional pension benefits, etc.”
The ministry said that Railways do not send links or messages for updating PPO or service records.
“No Railway official is authorised to seek bank details, OTPs, passwords, or any confidential information through phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media. Pensioners are advised to remain vigilant and also sensitise their family members in this regard,” it noted.
Any suspicious call or message should be immediately reported to the Police Cyber Cell and the concerned administrative office.
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Aadhaar-based authentication prompts de-activation of suspicious users
Meanwhile, Aadhaar-based authentication, multi-layer cybersecurity, and anti-fraud measures led to the deactivation of 3.03 crore suspicious user IDs in train ticket booking in 2025, ensuring seamless booking for genuine users.
According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, 60.43 billion (6,043 crore) on malicious bot requests were blocked in six months (till December 2025), protecting the integrity of the e-ticketing system.
Vaishnaw’s remarks
According to the minister, 376 complaints have been lodged on the National Cyber Crime Portal regarding 3.99 lakh suspicious bookings, and 12,819 suspicious email domains have been blocked in 2025.
To curb misuse and improve fairness in Tatkal bookings, Aadhaar-based one-time password (OTP) verification has been introduced for online Tatkal ticket bookings. Aadhaar authentication provides instantaneous verification of user uniqueness, which is critical considering the time-sensitive nature of Tatkal ticket booking.
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He added that several security measures have also been implemented to address OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) application security vulnerabilities.
Further, to optimise system performance, Indian Railways has implemented a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to offload static content and reduce direct traffic on the internet ticket booking website system.
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