Now, fraudsters offering e-SIM to get bank details in Himachal

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 30

Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the rapidly changing mobile phone technology to defraud people. These days, they offer e-SIM to people and extract their bank details in the process.

Leading mobile service providers like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea are offering e-SIM services to subscribers. The e-SIM is a virtual SIM which can be used in select models of iPhones. The fraudsters are targeting the rich, who possess these phones, by offering e-SIM and procuring their bank details on the pretext of updating their KYC form.

These cyber criminals tell people that their phone will be dysfunctional if they do not share KYC details. They send a link to the person which guides them to fill a form in which details of bank account and ATM card are sought.

This is followed by sending an email to the telecom service provider e-SIM through registered e-mails. The criminals procure the QR Code and ask the customer to download apps like Team Viewer, Quick Support and Any Desk and as soon as the customers does it, they access mobile details and bank details.

They get the mobile phone link with the bank account “deactivated” and get it activated in their own mobile without the knowledge of the customer, who neither receives any alert or the OTP thereafter. This enables the criminals to withdraw the entire amount from the account through online banking.

Recently, a person in Shimla was cheated by such criminals and Rs 5.95 lakh were withdrawn from his account. The matter is under investigation. The cyber crime branch has cautioned people against responding to any message received through any phone, WhatsApp call or email which says that their SIM would be blocked if KYC details are not provided.

Further, the customers should never download any app on the request of any unknown person and refrain from giving bank and ATM details, said Additional SP, Cyber Crime, Narvir Singh Rathore.

Modus Operandi

Cyber criminals tell people that their phone will become dysfunctional if they do not share KYC details. They send a link to the person which guides them to fill a form in which details of bank account and ATM Card are sought. This is followed by sending an email to the telecom service provider e-SIM through registered e-mails.

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