Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police blame Telecommunications Enforcement Resources and surveillance (TERM) due to the failure to warn telecom companies for a rapid increase in the one-time password (OTP) fraud cases. The criminals have become so merciless that they managed to catch even a city-based PSU bank officer and wiped out 24,000 from the account. The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police claimed that they have written several letters to TERM to take action against counterfeit SIM cards being bought by miscreants to cheat people.
The Cyber Crime Police have written a few letters to TERM, have asked them to take action against some popular telecom companies. According to the rules, if a company provides a SIM card with fake address proof, then it is fined up to Rs 50,000. Fraud is using fake SIM cards to call people and pretend the bank officials. We have saved them from those numbers. Asked to block services of numbers, which has been issued on the basis of fake address or fake ID proof, Hyderabad Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime, said.
That, initially the verification process was difficult to get a SIM, but now it is also easily available at the pan shops. In addition, companies do not make much effort to confirm the proof of their customers’ address. It becomes possible that after the crime, the police become hard to find the criminals who throw the SIM cards, “said a department official.
By August this year, Cyber Crime Cell had registered 100 cases of OTP fraud while the accused had been identified by other states, especially Delhi and Jharkhand. “Most of the policemen in Jharkhand and Delhi have not received any help from us. We have deployed a team in Delhi, but at present we reach the districts of Jharkhand and inform the local police, the news has spread and most of them manage to escape, Police said.
In Hyderabad city, because most of the people can communicate in Hindi, the criminals of Jharkhand targeted them, According to the police; both the private and public sector banks send debit cards through outsourced agents and criminal manage to keep their hands on the details of the card. As the perpetrators already have all the details of the bank, they need OTP to complete the transaction as a money transfer. They are telling customers that they need to link their Aadhaar number with their bank account and offer help. The victim said that his bank will send an OTP in the next few minutes and disclose this important input to complete the process. When they receive OTP, they transfer some amount from the person’s bank account, “said the official of the Cyber Crime Cell.
Police said that since the accused provide all the details of the bank account, the victims believe in them and provide OTP. We have started an awareness program that people should not share their OTP with anyone, including their bank employees. Now, people are exposed to OTP fraud, instead of falling into the trap of the conman, they filed a complaint, Police said
