Cyber scammers use call forwarding to steal money via OTPs

Cyber scammers are using “forwarding fraud” to divert calls and SMS messages from victims’ phones by tricking them into dialing USSD codes. Forwarded OTPs enable theft from bank and UPI accounts. Police urge caution, checking call forwarding, and reporting suspicious activity

Hyderabad: Cyber scammers keep finding new modus operandi to con people of their hard-earned money and gain illegal finances.

In the latest the cyber fraudsters are resorting to ‘forwarding frauds’ to illegally gain access to the phone calls and text messages of people and dupe them.

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According to the police, in these scams, the mobile phone users are tricked into dialling Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes, also known as quick codes, to activate call forwarding. “Online criminals forward or divert a citizen’s mobile phone calls or SMSs to their own mobile numbers. Through this, OTPs, verification calls, and other confidential calls meant for the citizen’s mobile are diverted to the fraudsters’ phones. Fraudsters gain access to messages and calls, leading to financial and privacy breaches,” said an official of cybercrime police station.

Often, the cyber fraudsters contact citizens pretending to be from a bank or cell provider companies or another trusted institution, claiming that the victim’s KYC is incomplete or SIM will be deactivated soon. “They trick the victim into dialling a USSD code which usually contains symbols such as # or *, along with a combination of numbers in the middle. When citizens dial such USSD codes, their incoming calls start getting forwarded,” said the official.

Usually, for any banking transactions, UPI and Credit/ Debit card transactions, an OTP is required. When the bank sends an OTP to the citizen’s phone, it gets forwarded to the fraudster. The fraudster then uses this OTP for confirmation, allowing them to steal money from the victim’s bank account or UPI app.

The police said the victim should get suspicious when they notice that they are not receiving calls. They might assume it’s a network problem, but in reality, their calls have been diverted to the fraudster’s number.

Precautions to avoid such frauds:

• Never dial any USSD code at the instruction of an unknown person.
• To check if call forwarding is active, dial ##21# on your phone.
• If you see “Call Forwarding Enabled”, immediately turn it off.
• To deactivate all types of call forwarding, dial ##002#.
• If the issue persists, contact your mobile service provider’s customer care. Avoid sharing your mobile number or SIM-related details with strangers.
• For more information about such frauds, visit http://www.cybercrime.gov.in or contact the Cyber Helpline at 1930.