Srinagar, Jun 22 (PTI) Senior IAS officer Shahid Choudhary said on Wednesday that a cyber criminal was using his mobile number to defraud colleagues and friends.

The officer took to Twitter to inform about the matter and requested the Jammu and Kashmir Police to take strict action against the culprit.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Man Shoots Father, Brother to Death Over Property Dispute in Azamgarh.

He said a cyber criminal was using mobile number 8105819214 and his picture to send messages to his colleagues and friends seeking financial help.

Choudhary, a 2009-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is tribal affairs department secretary and chief executive officer of the Mission Youth Jammu and Kashmir. He won the prime minister's award for excellence in public administration in 2015.

Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray Address Highlights: Maharashtra CM Says ‘Will Resign As Chief Minister if Even One MLA Against Me, Ready to Quit As Shiv Sena Party Leader Too’.

In a tweet, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir said, "General public is advised to remain cautious and follow precautionary measures to deal with fraudsters using fake WhatsApp display picture to impersonate as high-profile government officers or dignitaries."

It also shared a advisory on fake WhatsApp DP scam issued by the Cyber Police Kashmir.

It has advised people not to reply to messages received from unknown WhatsApp number and not to transfer money or purchase online gift vouchers. It also asked people not to share banking details and, install any remote access app and click on any suspicious link.

Cyber criminals have recently used a photo of the Chandigarh Police chief to seek "Amazon gift cards" from his friends.

According to sources, some other senior officials in the Jammu and Kashmir administration have also been targeted by the cyber criminals in a bid to extract money by hacking into bank accounts.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)