Delhi Advocate Falls Prey To Phone Hacking Scam, Loses Rs. 50 Lakh ،
In a worrying cyber scam, the fraudsters managed to wipe thousands of rupees from the victim’s account by hacking their phone. The victim, who is a Delhi-based lawyer, claims she received three missed calls from unknown numbers before losing Rs. 50 lakh from his bank account.
Delhi-based lawyer received three missed calls before fraud took place
The incident was reported on October 18, 2023, when the trial and high court lawyer informed the police that she had lost thousands of rupees from her bank account. According to a report published by Times Now, a police officer mentioned that the 35-year-old lawyer received three missed calls from an unknown number before realizing that she had been robbed.
When the victim called the unknown number from another cell phone, someone picked up the call and claimed it was related to a courier delivery. The lawyer shared her home address in connection with receiving a package, which she did. However, she later received two messages from her bank informing her of the withdrawals.
The lawyer did not share any OTP or password
The report mentions that she did not share any OTP, password or other confidential details that could lead to the scam. However, she fell prey to SIM swap fraud. During the ensuing investigation, it was discovered that the lawyer had an unusual browsing history, which she did not review. She also received messages containing phishing links and a UPI record, although she did not initiate one.
In her complaint, the lawyer also mentions that she received a call after the scam from a man who claimed to be an IFSO agent and asked for her bank account statement, which she denied sharing . The police are yet to find a suspect in the case and have lodged a complaint with the cyber cell.
What is SIM swapping?
SIM swapping is a relatively new technique for duping people out of their money. In this scam, fraudsters find ways to access their targets’ phone numbers and connect them to new SIM cards (called SIM swaps). Later, they use these SIM cards to access the targets’ personal information like banking details, passwords, OTPs, etc. which leads to scams.
It is important to mention that once fraudsters link a new SIM card to an existing mobile number, the potential target’s old SIM card will no longer be in service. Therefore, if a person’s SIM card has randomly stopped working or no longer connects to cellular service, contact the network provider immediately and ask them to close the number or issue another SIM card. Additionally, signing up for regular transaction alerts from the bank on your email id can act as a safety net.
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