Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS) A massive cyber fraud racket has surfaced in Kerala, with online scammers allegedly exploiting the soaring popularity of Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to run a sophisticated money-making operation through fake social media accounts.

In a shocking case that has triggered alarm within government circles, fraudsters created a fake Facebook page titled “Chief Minister VDS” and began demanding a monthly subscription fee of Rs 89 from followers to access the Chief Minister’s posts, updates and exclusive content.

The scam has exposed what cyber experts describe as a growing online mafia operating across Instagram and Facebook, using the names and images of political leaders, film stars, and influencers to mint money from unsuspecting followers.

A simple search for V.D. Satheesan on Facebook throws up several accounts, but investigators say one particular page boasting more than 5.89 lakh followers has become the centre of concern.

Cyber officials suspect that the operators behind the page may already have pocketed lakhs of rupees through paid subscriptions.

The exact number of subscribers, however, remains unclear as the page administrators have reportedly hidden the details deliberately.

The subscription model is commonly used by celebrities and influencers to offer exclusive reels, posts and live videos to paying fans.

Investigators believe the fraudsters cleverly misused this feature to give the fake page an appearance of authenticity.

The Chief Minister’s Office has now stepped in with an official clarification, warning the public that there is only one verified Facebook page operated in the Chief Minister’s name and that any account demanding money is completely fake.

Sources in the cyber police said the scam is being treated with utmost seriousness, particularly because it involves impersonation of a constitutional authority.

Officials are now coordinating with Meta to identify and shut down the fake pages.

Police are also tracing the bank accounts, payment gateways and IP addresses linked to the operation.

With political leaders increasingly becoming social media crowd-pullers, investigators fear similar fake subscription rackets may already be thriving across platforms unnoticed.

–IANS

sg/uk