Sim Swap Fraud What is It How to Save Yourself Bank Accounts From Scammers Hackers All Details

Sim Swapping: You might have heard the term SIM Swapping, but if you have not then it is very important for you to know about it. Nowadays, to sign up or log in to net banking, credit card, debit card, etc. or any other service, an OTP (Online Transaction PIN) comes on your registered number, which ensures that you are using the service as intended. Are there, no one else. But, what if your SIM is on your phone but the OTP goes to someone else? This method has become the biggest friend of hackers these days. Let us explain to you what SIM swapping is and what are the ways to avoid it.

What is SIM swapping?

Fraud done by changing SIM card is called SIM card swapping. In this fraud, hackers remotely replace the physical SIM card present in your mobile with a fake SIM card. If you are wondering how this is possible, don’t worry, we are here to tell you about it in detail.

To swap the SIM, i.e. to replace it with a fake card, hackers get another SIM issued by the telecom service company on the same number, so that the OTP coming from the bank or other service comes in the issued SIM and the hacker has control over your bank. Be it on account or other service.

To fall into SIM Swap trap, scammers or hackers first buy a new SIM and then contact the same network service provider and pretend to have lost their old SIM card. In this way they trick the service provider and activate the same number on their newly purchased card. Once this happens, calls, or any SMS including OTP go to these scammers, as they have complete control of their victim’s number.

Avoid this fraud like this:-

– The most important method is eSIM, because it is secure in many ways. To convert your number to eSIM, first check whether your smartphone supports eSIM and whether your telecom operator offers eSIM facility. Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea all offer e-SIM at no extra cost. Some allow you to register for an e-SIM in a few steps through their app, while for some you can contact the company’s customer care number or the nearest store.

To activate eSIM you need to register yourself with Personally Identifiable Information (PII). You can also set up biometric authentication like Face ID or fingerprint to secure your eSIM account. Additionally, there is no physical SIM card involved in eSIM systems, so no scammer can claim that their SIM card is lost or damaged.

Whenever a scammer or hacker activates a new SIM card through your number, your existing original SIM becomes inactive. In such a situation, if your SIM card suddenly becomes inactive, then you should immediately contact the telecom operator and should not use any bank service at that time.

– Many times fraudsters try to force the user to switch off their phone by harassing people through many calls. Switching off the mobile phone gives scammers time to activate their new SIM card. So if you are getting fraud calls, avoid switching off the phone.