Warning: Lakhs of Rupees at Risk From Call Forwarding Scam – Be Alert!
India’s digital revolution has come at a high cost, with millions now becoming easy targets for scams. You already know about UPI scam, fake delivery agent scam and now call forwarding scam has hit the headlines. And like all scams, this one can drain your bank account and you won’t even notice the crime going on behind the scenes.
Call forwarding is mostly a useful feature that allows people to forward their calls to another number if their primary number is busy, unavailable or unresponsive. But you must be wondering how call forwarding ends up stealing money from your bank account and here we are going to give the details about the new scam in town.
Call forwarding scam: Do not dial these numbers
A recent incident clearly shows that the call forwarding scam is becoming more common and people need to be warned about its modus operandi before they fall for it. The scammer calls you disguised as an ISP or telecom operator (which could be Airtel, Jio or Vi).
They say your mobile account has been hacked or there is some problem with your SIM card. These issues can understandably make anyone panic, and scammers use this fear to get them to share confidential information.
The attackers will then ask you to dial a number that starts with 401. Dialing this number means that you have activated call forwarding on your number, which allows the scammer to now access your calls, text messages that contain personal information such as bank OTPs. account or UPI transactions. If they can access this information on your bank account, they can verify it and withdraw money.
Now, since the number is in call forwarding mode, you won’t even get a warning from the bank, because according to the bank’s information, the transaction is authorized by the registered account holder. We are talking about this scam because recently one person fell victim to this attack and lost money from their account. The victim filed a complaint with the police, but such incidents are avoidable if you are careful when sharing information with strangers.
How to avoid falling for a call forwarding scam
– The first and most important tip to follow is to never answer calls from random numbers, especially when they claim to be calling from your phone or internet company. These guys have no business telling you about problems like account hacking or SIM related problems.
– Even if you answer these calls, never, ever share important information like your home address, bank account number and other information. Also avoid sharing OTPs or dial the number these agents ask you to call.
– Never click on messages sent from suspicious numbers. These links can give them access to your phone through malicious apps.
