Pimpri-Chinchwad: Cyber Police officials of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) announced on Monday night a new online cybercrime technique used by fraudsters to deceive oblivious citizens into parting with substantial amounts. The new technique, termed ‘Call Forwarding Scam' by the officials, is where fraudsters call you and ask you to dial a number, citing any reason. The moment you do, all access to your phone is with the fraudsters.
Cyber Police Station has issued a circular regarding this, where they have warned the residents about this new scam in the market. Although call forwarding scams have existed in the world for a while now, recently, many people in Pimpri-Chinchwad have fallen victim to them. “Considering our area, this scam is a fairly new way to dupe citizens of their hard-earned money,” said a police official.
What Is a Call Forwarding Scam?
Police said that in this type of scam, cyber fraudsters first reach out to you via a call. After calling, they use practised manipulation techniques to make you call their number by your personal mobile number -- in any way possible. They might pretend to be from a SIM card or a mobile company and say anything to make you dial a special series of numbers. “Residents have reported that they were told to dial a number and they will have a new update on their phone, or sometimes, they call you and tell you there is some offer and dial the special number to claim it,” noted Cyber Police.
When citizens comply with it, access to their phones is now in the control of cyber fraudsters. They can view citizens’ One Time Passwords (OTPs), call history, bank transactions, and other things. Through this, cyber thieves can steal money from the bank accounts or obtain personal information. But one thing is clear from the cases that have come forward until now -- criminals always ask you to dial a code that begins with 21 or 401 and then a mobile number.
Damages Caused By This Method
1) OTP Theft - OTPs related to bank, credit, and debit cards, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) reach the fraudsters directly.
2) Not Receiving Mobile Calls – Whenever anyone calls you, it gets diverted to another number, which is controlled by cybercriminals.
3) Social Engineering – Criminals can gain the trust of your friends, relatives, or business contacts and commit major fraud, as they will think it's you.
4) Privacy at Risk – Everything private in your home that you hold dear is at risk, as criminals might leverage it to threaten you.
How To Prevent It?
- Never dial the USSD code suggested by an unknown person.
- Check if call forwarding is active on your mobile by dialling *#21#. If call forwarding is shown as enabled, deactivate it immediately.
- Dial ##002# to stop all call forwarding.
- Contact your mobile company's customer care.
- In case of banking transactions, immediately contact the bank branch to lock or freeze your account.
Report It Fast - Police
Police further stressed that any cybercrime has a major chance of recovering the duped amount if you report the matter as soon as possible. The first hour after the cybercrime is committed is called the ‘golden hour', within which, if you report the matter to the police, a majority of your defrauded amount can be recovered. Police said, however, cybercriminals have gotten smarter and faster, as they immediately convert the duped amount to cryptocurrency or send it to a foreign-based account. But still, this process takes time, and before that, the police are capable of recovering the duped amount.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dr Shivaji Pawar said, “If you are defrauded through call forwarding, immediately contact the website www.cybercrime.gov.in or the helpline 1930. Citizens are urged to stay alert and protect themselves from such calls and messages.”
