Updated October 4, 2026
Social Registry Official Domain Safety: Avoid Lookalike Government Sites
How to identify the real West Bengal Social Registry portal and avoid entering Aadhaar or OTP data on lookalike domains.
The real West Bengal Social Registry portal is socialregistry.wb.gov.in. The safest way to identify it is by the domain itself, not by a logo, page colour or search-result title.
Read the hostname from right to left
The meaningful government ending is wb.gov.in. In socialregistry.wb.gov.in, “socialregistry” is a subdomain of that West Bengal government namespace.
Lookalike examples
A domain such as socialregistry-wb-gov.in, socialregistrygovin.com, social-registry-gov-in.online or annapurna-status.in can contain convincing words without being the Government of West Bengal domain. This website itself is one such informational domain and therefore never asks for citizen credentials.
What the official portal says about ownership
The government portal identifies NIC as the architect/designer and says content, data, process and operation are owned and maintained by the Government of West Bengal.
Never enter OTP on an informational site
The official citizen process uses mobile OTP. That makes OTP theft especially important to avoid. A guide can explain where to click; it does not need to receive or forward the OTP.
Aadhaar safety
Aadhaar is a mandatory document for Annapurna according to the government scheme page. That is not permission to upload it to every site that mentions the scheme. Use the government portal or designated government office only.
Officer login is not a citizen login
Search engines can surface a Social Registry Dashboard login meant for authorised officials. Ordinary applicants should use the citizen/family route, not try to obtain or guess staff credentials.
If the government portal is under maintenance
Wait or use the official BDO/SDO/KMC office route. A maintenance message is not a reason to submit the same personal data to a copycat service.
Our source page links directly to the government portal and scheme page.
Government-like words are not proof of a government domain
Attackers and publishers can register names containing “gov”, “WB”, “registry” or a scheme name. Only the actual hostname structure matters. For this service, socialregistry.wb.gov.in is under the West Bengal government namespace.
Check HTTPS and hostname separately
A padlock only means the connection to that domain is encrypted. An unofficial domain can also have HTTPS. First check the hostname, then the secure connection.
Search ads and copied logos are not validation
A sponsored search result, official-looking crest or screenshot can point to a private site. When sensitive data is involved, type or follow a known government URL rather than trusting visual branding.
What this site deliberately does not offer
There is no Aadhaar form, OTP box, bank-detail field or “check your status here” widget on this .online domain. Those would blur the line between information and the real government transaction.
Red flags in fake sites and messages
Lookalike sites usually reveal themselves through pressure and payment. Any site asking for an "application fee," "processing charge," or "verification payment" for a government welfare scheme is fake — genuine applications do not require payment to submit. Other red flags: countdown timers creating false urgency, promises of guaranteed approval, WhatsApp or Telegram forwards claiming to be the "new official link," and forms asking for bank OTPs, card CVVs, or full passwords. The real portal authenticates with mobile OTP on its own domain and never asks for your banking credentials. If a forwarded link makes you unsure, do not click it — type socialregistry.wb.gov.in into your browser yourself and navigate from there.
What to do if you already entered details on a suspicious site
If you typed personal details into a site you now doubt, act quickly: change passwords for any accounts sharing those credentials, watch your bank statements and SMS alerts closely for a few weeks, and consider reporting the site to the cybercrime portal. If you shared an OTP or banking detail, contact your bank immediately — OTPs are time-sensitive and fast action limits damage. Then re-verify your actual application status only through the official domain or office route described in the status guide, so a scammer's interference does not go unnoticed.