The Maharashtra Cyber police have issued advisories for citizens warning them about emerging cyber crimes such as spoofing of phone calls, sim swapping and CIDCO lottery scams used by the fraudsters.
According to the advisory, "Scammers pretend to be bank representatives and ask for personal information, claiming it's needed to update KYC details. This is a trick to steal sensitive data. One should not share personal or banking details over the phone and verify by calling the bank's official number directly. One should ignore urgent requests for Information, as banks don't ask for sensitive details over calls and report and block suspicious numbers immediately."
Warning citizens about the SIM swapping fraud, the advisory states, "In this scam the fraudster collects data on victim (through social media, phishing, etc.). The fraudster then calls phone service provider and impersonates victim. The fraudster tricks carrier into switching victim's mobile number to SIM card on his phone after which he starts getting incoming calls and texts meant for the victim - including account access codes."
The police also warned citizens about possible fraud related to CIDCO lottery. "One should always verify CIDCO lottery information on the official website (cidco.maharashtra.gov.in) and avoid paying money to agents or third-party websites claiming guaranteed allotment. CIDCO never asks for personal details like OTPs or bank info via phone or messages. One should cross-check lottery announcements in reputable news sources and government notices and report suspicious calls, emails, or websites to the police or cybercrime authorities immediately," the advisory stated.
