Have you ever received a call from a ‘government official’ or a message from an unidentified number asking for verification or disconnection of your mobile number? If yes, you may have been a victim of a scam. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued a warning in this regard and those who have been contacted in this regard can even register a complaint.
The telecom regulator has sent a communication on mobile phones advising users to be aware of potentially fraudulent activities.
“TRAI never sends any message or makes any call for verification/ disconnection/ reporting unlawful activities of mobile numbers,” a communication from TRAI reads.
“Beware of such messages/calls in the name of TRAI. Any call or message claiming to be from TRAI should be considered potentially fraudulent,” the message added.
How scammers target users
Last year, Secretary of TRAI, V Raghunandan said that the regulator knows about these fraudsters who lie to users that their Aadhaar numbers were used for obtaining SIM cards and were being used for illegal activities.
Additionally, the fraudsters also try to trick the users into joining Skype video calls to avoid disconnection of mobile numbers, he added. The official also noted that TRAI has not authorised any agency to contact customers for such activities.
How to report such incidents
TRAI said that any such call or message claiming to be from TRAI is potentially fraudulent. Those users who have been affected by such calls or messages can report the incident to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in). Furthermore, the complaint can be registered by calling the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930).