Every day, the number of cybercrimes increases. India's cybercrime rate has nearly risen during the last few years. Cybercriminals are cunning, and they've devised new ways to defraud unsuspecting victims. Many people around the country have been victims of cybercrime in the recent past, losing lakhs of rupees.
Cybercriminals have devised new methods for defrauding individuals. They used to call customers and pretend to be from banks, collecting personal information. They now make phone calls posing as police officers to obtain personal information. A person recently lost Rs 7.7 lakh after contacting a scammer posing as a police officer. Another person lost Rs 1.07 lakh to fraud in a similar situation.
How can this deception happen?
Victims are contacted by fraudsters posing as cybercrime investigators. The caller scares the victims by accusing them of numerous forms of cybercrime. They then pose as Vodafone executives and claim that they have received a complaint about these individuals for committing cyber fraud.
After scaring the victim, the caller claims that his SIM card was cloned and used to conduct fraud by someone else. The caller also offers to assist him in declining the card and instructs him to proceed.
Fraudsters ask the victim to download a screen-sharing tool like TeamViewer or AnyDesk once the victim agrees to follow the instructions to decline the SIM. After the victim downloads the AnyDesk or TeamViewer program, he will be requested to allow specific permissions. The program will generate a 9-digit code once all permissions have been granted. Fraudsters can use this code to obtain access to the victim's phone. He will be asked to reveal this code by the fraudster. The scammers acquire remote access to the phone after sharing this code with them.
They acquire all the details, including the OTP, after gaining access to the victim's phone. Fraudulent transactions are carried out using this information.
How can this type of fraud be avoided?
1. Never download an unexpected app recommended by strangers on your phone to avoid this type of fraud.
2. Never give out personal banking information over the phone, such as your card number, CVV, OTP, or other sensitive information.
3. Always remember that no bank or corporation would call you and ask for personal information or ask you to download apps and give authorization.