Hyderabad: Study finds new Aadhaar-SIM cyber fraud
Cyber fraudsters are now employing a unique operative style of using Aadhar cards with outdated pictures of children to falsely obtain SIM cards for nefarious activities.
Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters are now employing a unique operative style of using Aadhar cards with outdated pictures of children to falsely obtain SIM cards for nefarious activities, a study by Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB)-Institute of Data Science, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security of Telangana State, said.
The study ‘Telecom SIM Subscription Frauds: Global Policy Trends, Risk Assessments and Recommendations’ says that SIM card fraud is a significant part of cybercrimes and only a robust identity verification solution can stop such crimes.
The study found that 64.5 per cent of Indian consumers prefer digital KYC for SIM registration, with Aadhar being the preferred identity document. Notably, 89 per cent of alternate numbers provided are not linked to Aadhar, indicating a significant gap in verification processes.
“Often the alternate numbers used for authentication purpose were linked to other criminals. The study recommends incorporating online identification and validation methods, enhancing electronic identification processes and increasing customer education to combat the fraud,” said Director TGSCB, Shikha Goel.
The study utilised subscriber data from Customer Acquisition Forms (CAFs) from across all telecom service providers. A total of 1,600 CAFs phone numbers belonging to criminals reported by the people across Telangana were obtained and real-time analysis of the data were extracted using AI models.
“An extensive analysis of SIM registration policies in 160 countries was conducted to benchmark global best practices, offering valuable insights for enhancing local protocols,” said the official
The TGSCB Director said that the study highlights the important issue of SIM card fraud and emphasizes the importance of not sharing personal information and reporting lost or stolen SIM cards promptly. “We urge everyone to remain vigilant, protect your personal information, deal only with verified agents, and report suspicious activities immediately,” Shikha Goel added.
The TGCSB will share the recommendations of the study with the concerned stake holders at the national level due to its relevance and the urgent need to address this very important issue.
