Cyber police asks Gurugram residents to be aware of 5G SIM fraud
Following the announcement, police from several states received complaints of people losing money from bank accounts after clicking unsolicited links received on their mobile phones
With the launch of 5G services in the city, police on Sunday issued an advisory asking residents to be careful of cyber criminals who might try to con them on the pretext of upgrading their SIM cards. The cyber police cell asked residents not to share their one-time passwords (OTPs) with any telecaller as they can wipe out their bank accounts in the process.
Gurugram is among eight cities selected for rolling out 5G services in the first phase. Following the announcement, police from several states received complaints of people losing money from bank accounts after clicking unsolicited links received on their mobile phones. According to Upasna Singh, deputy commissioner of police, a few people in the city have fallen prey to cyber fraudsters who duped them on the pretext of upgrading their SIMs to 5G services. “Since news of the 5G rollout in Gurugram came out, the number of these incidents has gone up. However, we have asked residents to be vigilant and to not share OTPs with any stranger,” she said.
Singh said such fraudsters first send a link to targeted users, asking them to click on it to upgrade SIM services. “Once the person clicks on the link, the suspects get access to personal information including bank details and take control of the phone. Several victims have lost substantial amounts of money after clicking on such links,” she said.
Police said people can report any cyber fraud on the 1930 helpline number so that the fraudster’s bank account can be frozen. According to DCP Singh, Gurugram Cyber Police blocked transactions worth ₹62.80 lakh in such cases. “As soon as the person registers a complaint on the helpline number, the account to which their money has been moved will get frozen by the cybercrime unit. The owner of the account will not be able to withdraw it. Also, the entire money withdrawn from the victim’s account will be returned to them,” she said.
Police said teams are visiting schools, colleges, universities, malls, bus stands, gram panchayats and other public places to spread awareness.
The 5G technology in India was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1. Consumers with a 5G mobile phone will be able to start using the service once certain technical steps are carried out. As of now, people can use 5G services at the same price as 4G but a new set of tariffs will be introduced soon, mobile companies said.
