A railway employee in Munger, Bihar, paid Rs. 718 ordered, which he wanted to cancel. For this, the railway employee went to Google and got Flipkart's customer care number from there and called him. A customer care representative sent him a link and asked him to click on it and download an app.
When the railway employee clicked on that link, Rs 1.99 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account in one go. Actually, it was a fake customer care number, which was added on Google by cyber thugs in the name of Flipkart customer care number.
This is a new method of online scams, in which cyber thugs use search engine optimization (SEO) to change the numbers of reputable companies. When someone searches for any company's customer care number on Google, the first number that pops up belongs to scammers.
This is a very dangerous type of scam, where scammers can empty your bank account within minutes.
So, today In need news We will talk about this new scam and know what is Customer Care Fraud? You may also know that-
- How to identify fake customer care number?
- What is the correct way to get a company's customer care number?
Expert: Rahul Mishra, Cyber Security Advisor (Uttar Pradesh Police)
Q- What is a fake customer care scam? Answer- A fake customer care scam is a type of scam that cyber thugs usually do in two ways.
By entering a fake customer care number on Google Cyberthugs create fake customer care numbers and post them on Google or other search engines, which look similar to a company's valid customer care number. When a person calls these numbers, cyber thugs pose as customer care representatives and send them a link or ask for information related to their bank account.
By calling a customer care representative Scammers claim to be a customer care representative of a legitimate company such as a bank, SIM operator, electricity department or OTT platform. People are trapped thinking that there is some technical issue with their account or the service will end soon. Scammers send a link to continue services, through which they install malware on the user's phone and steal the user's personal information.
Q- How do cyber thugs lure people into this scam? Answer- Usually cyber fraudsters talk in official language like customer care to win people's trust. Apart from this, the company reference number, caller ID or email is compromised, due to which not everyone can identify it easily. In the name of identity verification, cyber thugs send APK (Android application package) links to users or trick users into asking for financial or personal information.
Q- How can you identify fake customer care numbers? Answer- Cyber expert Rahul Mishra says that people should contact the company or bank if there is any problem related to the service. In such a situation, people first search on Google to find the helpline number, while Google never guarantees the authenticity of the number. It only shows the detected data.
Most of the customer numbers that appear on Google Pages are fraudulent because Google Pages can be easily edited. So, never trust the customer care number provided on Google. Always cross verify that number with the company website.
Understand how to identify a fake customer care number from the graphic below.
Q- How can one identify a strange or unusual customer number? Answer- Rahul Mishra explains that numbers starting with 1800 are generally toll free numbers in India, which are given to companies, organizations or government agencies. These numbers allow customers to make free calls.
When odd or unusual numbers start with +92, +93 or any other code instead of +91. The number prefix can be something other than 011.
However, numbers starting from 1800 can also be fraudulent, as cyber thugs can also get such numbers by registering in the name of a business.
Q- How to know the real customer care number of a company? Answer- The easiest way to get the customer care number of a bank or any e-commerce site is to visit the company's official Website. These numbers are written in the right-left corner of the website or below there are options like contact us, helpline or support, by clicking on which you can get the customer care number of the company.
Understand the correct way to find a company's customer care number from the graphic below.
Q- What to do if you fall victim to a fake customer care scam? Answer: If you fall victim to a fake customer care scam, report it immediately to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or helpline number 1930. Apart from this follow these steps immediately.
- Freeze your bank account immediately, so that transaction activities will be temporarily stopped.
- Block your credit or debit card, so that no new transactions can be made with the card.
- Change your social media account password to reduce the risk of account hacking.
- Set a two-factor authentication (2FA) password on your mobile phone.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
