Police officials in Bangalore, India are warning the public about a telecommunications fraud scheme dubbed the “call merge scam,” which exploits phone call merging capabilities to compromise victims’ personal information. The latest security threat emerges amid India’s broader crackdown on telecom fraud, which has already led to the deactivation of 34 million suspicious mobile connections.
The fraudulent scheme works by manipulating victims into merging calls between multiple phone numbers. The connection enables perpetrators to potentially access sensitive personal information, which can result in financial losses for targeted individuals. The scam represents a sophisticated form of social engineering that bypasses traditional security measures like multi-factor authentication.
In response to this security threat, the Bengaluru City Police have launched a social media awareness campaign. Their advisory specifically emphasizes that residents must refrain from merging calls with unknown numbers. The initiative follows India’s recent establishment of Joint Cyber Coordination Teams to combat rising cybercrime across the country.
“One call, two calls… and your money vanishes. Scammers trick you into merging calls, then steal your info,” warns the police department. “NEVER merge calls from unknown numbers. Stay alert, stay safe!”
To help residents protect themselves, law enforcement has outlined several security measures. These include avoiding call merging with unknown numbers, confirming caller identities before taking action, remaining vigilant when receiving calls from unfamiliar sources, and reporting any suspicious activities to proper authorities. The recommendations complement TRAI’s recent mandate for Caller Name Display Service, which aims to help citizens identify legitimate callers.
While the Bengaluru City Police have not released specific case numbers, they indicate that the prevalence of this scam technique has reached a level necessitating a dedicated public awareness campaign. The development comes as India prepares to implement stricter identity verification measures, including mandatory biometric authentication for SIM cards in 2025.
Sources: Bengaluru City Police Instagram Reel, Bengaluru City Police Instagram
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