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

Sim Swapping: You must have heard the term SIM swapping, but if you haven’t, 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 the one using the service and 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 nowadays. Let us explain to you what SIM swapping is and what are the ways to avoid it.

What is SIM swapping?

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

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

To trap the victim in 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. After this, 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, as it is secure in many ways. To convert your number to eSIM, first check if your smartphone supports eSIM and if your telecom operator provides eSIM facility. Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea all offer eSIM at no extra cost. Some allow you to register for eSIM 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 personal identifiable information (PII). You can also set up biometric authentication such as face ID or fingerprint to secure your eSIM account. Also, there is no physical SIM card in the eSIM system, 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 as soon as this happens. In such a situation, if your SIM card suddenly becomes inactive, you should immediately contact the telecom operator and should not use any bank service at that time.

– Many times, fraudsters harass people with multiple calls and try to force the user to switch off their phone. Switching off the mobile phone gives scammers time to activate their new SIM card. So, if you are getting fraudulent calls, avoid switching off your phone.