9 things you must know before falling prey to a ‘SIM swap’
Times of india 29.07.2018
Times of india 29.07.2018
How identity thieves exploit your ignorance so that you end up losing money in a matter of minutes
Acyberfraud called ‘SIM swap’ has tricked several people across the country. Not really new, the fraudulent method is used by criminals to trick gullible smartphone users, who end up losing money in a matter of minutes.
And if you think that only digitally-illiterate people fall prey to this scam, you’ve got it wrong. Several tech-savvy youths too have ended up falling for this cyberfraud. In fact, criminals have devised several ways to commit ‘SIM swap’ frauds. Take a look at some of the common techniques used to trap people.
You can be trapped by sharing information on the phone
SIM swap or simply SIM card exchange is basically registering a new SIM card with your phone number. Once this is done, your SIM will become invalid and your phone will stop receiving any signal. Now, once the miscreants have your phone number, they will get OTPs on their SIM card. With this, they can initiate bank transfers and even opt to shop online after getting OTPs.
It starts with an unknown call claiming to be from your service provider
You will get a call from a person who will pose as an executive from your service provider. He or she will then tell you that it’s a routine call to fix the call drop problem or improve signal reception on your phone. He/she can also promise to help you get more mobile data or increase mobile internet speeds or simply ‘guide’ you to migrate to a 4G SIM card.
Entire conversation will be to get your 20-digit SIM number
The scam caller will try all means to get your unique 20-digit SIM number. Every SIM card has this 20-digit number. Look for it at the back of your SIM card. The scamster will try to convince you to share your 20-digit unique number to a phone number to get the desired service.
You will be requested to press 1 or authenticate this swap
After convincing you to send the unique SIM number, the scamster will tell you to press 1 or simply authenticate the SIM swap. The scamster, after obtaining the unique SIM number, will initiate the ‘swap’ with your telecom operator officially.
Your mobile will stop receiving a signal altogether
Once the swap is successful, your SIM card will stop working and you will not get any signal on your phone. On the other hand, the scamster’s new SIM card will get full signal with your mobile number.
How can you lose money if your SIM is hijacked?
It is a two-step process, and sadly, SIM swap is the part two of the fraud process. The scamster, in most cases, already has information about your banking ID and password. All they need is the OTP that you get on your registered mobile number to make financial transactions.
How did they get your banking details beforehand?
This is mostly through phishing attacks. If you happen to open a fake version of your banking website, then your details automatically get compromised. They may ask for your Aadhaar number to verify your identity. Never ever share your Aadhaar number over the phone.
Do not switch off or mute your phone to ignore anonymous calls
In most cases, once the scamster has successfully imitated a SIM swap, he or she will disturb you so that you get angry and switch off or mute your phone. This is crucial to buy time for scamsters. Usually, telecom operators take around four hours to activate a new SIM. So, the scamster will continuously call you and disturb you so that you either switch off your phone or put it on silent mode during this four-hour window. When the swap is complete, you will not even get to know about it.
Keep a tab on your bank balance
It is always a healthy habit to keep track of your bank account and balance. Also, keep changing your internet banking password so that it gets difficult for miscreants. If you notice any suspicious internet banking activity, report it to your bank immediately to stop the transaction.
— TOI TECH
Acyberfraud called ‘SIM swap’ has tricked several people across the country. Not really new, the fraudulent method is used by criminals to trick gullible smartphone users, who end up losing money in a matter of minutes.
And if you think that only digitally-illiterate people fall prey to this scam, you’ve got it wrong. Several tech-savvy youths too have ended up falling for this cyberfraud. In fact, criminals have devised several ways to commit ‘SIM swap’ frauds. Take a look at some of the common techniques used to trap people.
You can be trapped by sharing information on the phone
SIM swap or simply SIM card exchange is basically registering a new SIM card with your phone number. Once this is done, your SIM will become invalid and your phone will stop receiving any signal. Now, once the miscreants have your phone number, they will get OTPs on their SIM card. With this, they can initiate bank transfers and even opt to shop online after getting OTPs.
It starts with an unknown call claiming to be from your service provider
You will get a call from a person who will pose as an executive from your service provider. He or she will then tell you that it’s a routine call to fix the call drop problem or improve signal reception on your phone. He/she can also promise to help you get more mobile data or increase mobile internet speeds or simply ‘guide’ you to migrate to a 4G SIM card.
Entire conversation will be to get your 20-digit SIM number
The scam caller will try all means to get your unique 20-digit SIM number. Every SIM card has this 20-digit number. Look for it at the back of your SIM card. The scamster will try to convince you to share your 20-digit unique number to a phone number to get the desired service.
You will be requested to press 1 or authenticate this swap
After convincing you to send the unique SIM number, the scamster will tell you to press 1 or simply authenticate the SIM swap. The scamster, after obtaining the unique SIM number, will initiate the ‘swap’ with your telecom operator officially.
Your mobile will stop receiving a signal altogether
Once the swap is successful, your SIM card will stop working and you will not get any signal on your phone. On the other hand, the scamster’s new SIM card will get full signal with your mobile number.
How can you lose money if your SIM is hijacked?
It is a two-step process, and sadly, SIM swap is the part two of the fraud process. The scamster, in most cases, already has information about your banking ID and password. All they need is the OTP that you get on your registered mobile number to make financial transactions.
How did they get your banking details beforehand?
This is mostly through phishing attacks. If you happen to open a fake version of your banking website, then your details automatically get compromised. They may ask for your Aadhaar number to verify your identity. Never ever share your Aadhaar number over the phone.
Do not switch off or mute your phone to ignore anonymous calls
In most cases, once the scamster has successfully imitated a SIM swap, he or she will disturb you so that you get angry and switch off or mute your phone. This is crucial to buy time for scamsters. Usually, telecom operators take around four hours to activate a new SIM. So, the scamster will continuously call you and disturb you so that you either switch off your phone or put it on silent mode during this four-hour window. When the swap is complete, you will not even get to know about it.
Keep a tab on your bank balance
It is always a healthy habit to keep track of your bank account and balance. Also, keep changing your internet banking password so that it gets difficult for miscreants. If you notice any suspicious internet banking activity, report it to your bank immediately to stop the transaction.
— TOI TECH
No comments:
Post a Comment