The call was made in a warning issued from Police Headquarters on Tuesday (July 28).

The warning stated that allegations have been received that a fraud ring has recently been using names, photos and identities of senior officials and responsible persons of various government departments including police to send messages on social media demanding money and attempting various types of influence peddling.

According to police, through these frauds, money is being extorted from the general public on one hand, while the reputation of government institutions and responsible officials is being tarnished on the other.

Police Headquarters said that just because a government official's photo or identity is used on social media, it should not be assumed that the account or mobile number belongs to that official. Therefore, everyone has been requested not to respond to such messages in any way.

If anyone receives such fraudulent messages, police have advised contacting the national emergency service 999 as well as informing CID's Cyber Police Center or the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Bangladesh Police said that they are on the highest alert against the rings involved in such fraud and efforts are underway to identify those involved and take legal action against them.