Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications of India has recently issued a special alert for the countrymen! In fact, a new WhatsApp call scamming incident has come to light in Halfil. Many people have already unknowingly stepped into this fraud trap. However, the government department has issued emergency guidelines to ensure that the number of victims does not rise further. In a new WhatsApp scam, fraudsters posing as DoT officials are threatening citizens to disconnect their mobile numbers as they are involved in illegal activities. In this case, DoT advised to refrain from sharing their personal information out of fear. This topic is discussed in detail below…
As per guidelines published by DoT, fraudsters are launching new scams targeting mobile numbers linked to instant messaging platform WhatsApp. In this case, fraudsters are calling the citizens by impersonating the employees of this government department. The latter is threatening to block the number by alleging that illegal activities have been done using their mobile number. Again they are being asked for personal information on the pretext of submitting an application to not block the number.
In such situations it is very natural to be afraid to share sensitive information. But DoT has repeatedly advised against providing personal information on a whim. New or financial loss or identity theft will be encountered.
It is to be noted that this method of the new WhatsApp scam is very similar to a recent cybercrime in the name of 'Central Bureau of Investigation' (CBI). Where the criminals claimed to be CBI officers. He then stole information from the victims, threatening to find it in an illegal package in their name.
The Central Government's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has advised against intercepting WhatsApp calls from mobile numbers with foreign country codes. So if you ever come across any voice on that messaging platform with country code like – +92, +254, +84, +63 then skip it immediately. And if you accidentally receive such a fraudulent call or get involved in a scam, how and where to report it is discussed below…
How and where to report fraudulent calls?
Reports of such fraudulent incidents can be filed on the communication companion portal (www.sancharsathi.gov.in) under the 'I-Report Suspected Fraud Communications' section, DoT said. Victims of such crimes can also file a complaint by calling the Cybercrime Helpline number 1930 or visiting the website www.cybercrime.gov.in.
