Tech News Desk You must have heard the term SIM swapping, but if you have not heard then it is very important for you to know about it. Nowadays for signing up or logging in to net banking, credit card, debit card etc. or any other service, an OTP (Online Transaction PIN) is sent to your registered number, which ensures that you use the service for the intended purpose. Doing accordingly. Yes, no one else. But, what if your SIM is in your phone but the OTP is passed on to someone else? This method has become the biggest friend of hackers nowadays. Let us explain to you what is SIM swapping 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, hackers remotely replace the physical SIM card in your mobile with a fake SIM card. If you are wondering how this is possible, then do not worry, we are here to tell you about it in detail.
To swap the SIM, that is, to replace it with a fake card, hackers take another SIM issued by the telecom service company on the same number, so that the OTP coming from the bank or other service comes in the issued SIM and the hackers use that number. take control over of your bank. Be it on the account or on another service. To fall into the 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 cheat the service provider and activate the same number on their newly purchased card. Once this happens, the call or any SMS including the OTP goes 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 whether your smartphone supports eSIM or not and whether your telecom operator offers eSIM facility. Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea all offer e-SIM at no extra cost. Some allow you to register for an e-SIM in a few steps through their app, while for some you can contact the company’s customer care number or the nearest store.
You will need to register yourself with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to activate the eSIM. You can also set up biometric authentication, such as Face ID or fingerprint, to secure your eSIM account. Additionally, there is no physical SIM card involved in the eSIM system, so a scammer cannot 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 gets deactivated. In such a situation, if your SIM card suddenly becomes inactive, then you should immediately contact the telecom operator and should not use any bank service at that time.
Many times fraudsters try to force people to switch off the phone by harassing them through multiple calls. Switching off the mobile phone gives scammers time to activate their new SIM card. So if you are getting fraud calls then avoid turning off the phone.