Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Police on Saturday warned the public against a widespread cyber financial fraud in which scammers misuse the names and logos of leading dairy product companies and business brands to lure victims through WhatsApp messages.

In a statement, the police said fraudsters circulate links claiming to offer "anniversary gifts" or "free gifts" in the name of well-known brands. People who click on such links are redirected to fake websites designed to resemble official company portals.

Victims are then asked to answer a few questions and are falsely informed that they have won a prize through a "scratch and win" scheme, the statement said.

The fraudsters subsequently ask users to share the message with friends or WhatsApp groups as a condition for claiming the prize.

According to the police, clicking on such links could enable scammers to gain control of the victim's phone, steal banking credentials and one-time passwords (OTPs), and withdraw money from bank accounts.

The police advised the public not to click on suspicious links received through WhatsApp or SMS and not to share bank details, OTPs or ATM PINs with anyone.

People were also urged not to forward dubious messages and to remain cautious about attractive offers such as "scratch and win", "gift coupons", "anniversary offers" and "lucky winner" schemes.

Victims of online financial fraud should immediately report the incident by calling the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the police added.