Phishing scam targets India AI Impact Summit attendees; govt warns against fake refund messages
In a post on X, the government said scammers are impersonating event authorities to extract sensitive financial and personal information from participants.
- Feb 22, 2026,
- Updated Feb 22, 2026 10:52 PM IST
The government has issued a warning to attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 after reports of a phishing campaign circulating fraudulent refund messages via SMS and WhatsApp.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the government said scammers are impersonating event authorities to extract sensitive financial and personal information from participants.
“Please note: It has come to our attention that a Phishing Scam is currently targeting attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026,” the government said in the post.
According to the warning, the fraudulent messages claim to facilitate refunds and ask recipients to share confidential details.
“Fraudulent messages are being circulated via SMS and WhatsApp, requesting sensitive information to facilitate ‘refunds.’ These communications are not official and have not been authorised by our organisation,” the post said.
Authorities urged participants to avoid responding to unsolicited requests for financial or personal data and to rely only on official communication channels for updates related to the summit.
“We urge all attendees to remain vigilant against unsolicited requests for card numbers or WhatsApp contact details. Please ensure you are referencing official channels only for any event-related updates,” the government said.
The advisory also warned those who may have already interacted with suspicious links to take immediate action to secure their finances.
“Important: If you have already shared your information via a suspicious link, please contact your bank immediately to secure your accounts,” the post added.
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The government has issued a warning to attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 after reports of a phishing campaign circulating fraudulent refund messages via SMS and WhatsApp.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the government said scammers are impersonating event authorities to extract sensitive financial and personal information from participants.
“Please note: It has come to our attention that a Phishing Scam is currently targeting attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026,” the government said in the post.
According to the warning, the fraudulent messages claim to facilitate refunds and ask recipients to share confidential details.
“Fraudulent messages are being circulated via SMS and WhatsApp, requesting sensitive information to facilitate ‘refunds.’ These communications are not official and have not been authorised by our organisation,” the post said.
Authorities urged participants to avoid responding to unsolicited requests for financial or personal data and to rely only on official communication channels for updates related to the summit.
“We urge all attendees to remain vigilant against unsolicited requests for card numbers or WhatsApp contact details. Please ensure you are referencing official channels only for any event-related updates,” the government said.
The advisory also warned those who may have already interacted with suspicious links to take immediate action to secure their finances.
“Important: If you have already shared your information via a suspicious link, please contact your bank immediately to secure your accounts,” the post added.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine