As anxiety mounts over the establishment of the 8th Pay Commission, the Central Government has activated a high-priority warning message to all its employees. Cyber crooks seem to play into the rush of millions of government officials and pensioners with fake links or malicious PDFs that pretend to be official government announcements around salary increases. No official order has been issued in this respect so far from the Ministry of Finance, and the PIB.
How the Scam Works: The “Salary Hike” Trap
Cyber attackers are employing advanced “phishing” techniques to attack employees at the central and state governments. The above is the usual strategy:
- The WhatsApp Hook: There’s a message circulated on WhatsApp groups saying: ‘Modi Govt has approved 8th Pay Commission.’
- The Malicious Link: The message contains a link or a PDF file labeled "Revised_Salary_Structure_2026.pdf" or "8th_Pay_Commission_Calculator.exe."
- Data theft: Malware is enabled in the user’s device if the user clicks a link from the message or downloads the file. That provides hackers with the possibility of stealing financial information, Aadhaar numbers and sensitive bank details from an employee’s mobile phone or computer.
- The 'KYC' Twist: Scammers are posing as PAO (Pay and Accounts Office) employees and asking them to update their KYC to get the "new increased salary."
What is the 8th Pay Commission's Real Status?
Fact Check: At present on February 14, 2026, the ground level reality of the situation is:
- No Formal Announcement: The 8th Pay Commission has not yet been officially designated by the Union Government.
- Anticipated Timeline: Normally, Pay Commissions are introduced every 10 years. Since the 7th Pay Commission was implemented in 2016, the prospect of a new commission is to be deliberated in upcoming budget cycles, but there has been no notification.
- Only Official Sources: Official communication on salary, Dearness Allowance (DA), or Pay Commissions shall only come up within the Department of Expenditure (DoE) or through the PIB.
Government employee safety guidelines
And the government has recommended for employees to take these “Cyber-Hygiene” steps:
- Don’t click on any link sent via SMS or WhatsApp for pay hikes.
- Verify via official portals: Always check or look for proper or legitimate notifications.
- Not Providing OTP: Government offices will never request your banking OTP or login password to update salary records.
- Reporting Scams: Report suspicious messages immediately on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at 1930 or visit.
