Just dialed one code and all the calls were hacked, know the truth about USSD scam which is scaring everyone.

News India Live, Digital Desk: In today’s world, the relationship between phone and banking is like a bodice. But now high-tech thieves are taking advantage of this. Many of you might have heard that the government has banned a particular mobile service. The reason behind this is a new and dangerous fraud which is USSD based call forwarding scam It is being said.

If you have not yet understood what this problem is, then let us understand in very simple language.

How do scammers make victims?

Imagine, you get a call. The person in front describes himself as an executive of Jio, Airtel or Vodafone. He sweetly tells you – “Sir, we are upgrading your SIM from 4G to 5G” or “There is a problem with your network, just dial a short code from your phone to fix it.”

That code often starts with *401# or *21* followed by a mobile number. The moment you innocently dial that number, you sign your ‘death’ warrant.

What happens when you dial the code?

Basically, these codes are shortcuts to activate ‘call forwarding’. As soon as you dial them, your number will receive all calls It gets forwarded to that fraudster’s number.

This is the danger!

Now you will think, “The call itself has been forwarded, how did the money go to the bank?”
This is where the real game lies! When you log in to any app (PhonePe, Google Pay or bank app), there is often an option for ‘Voice OTP’. The fraudster tries to login with your number and asks for OTP. Since your calls are forwarded, the call with OTP goes not to you but to the fraudster. He got OTP and your account is cleared! You won’t even notice because your phone never rang.

Government took strict action

In view of this danger, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India has taken a big decision. Call forwarding will no longer be activated via *USSD codes (e.g. 401#). That means this shortcut method has been stopped. The government has made it clear that it has now become necessary to block this route of fraud.

What do we do now?

Now even if you really need to do call forwarding, you will have to do it manually by going to ‘Settings’ of your phone, which is a difficult task for fraudsters.

So friends, if in future someone calls you and says, “Dial such and such code, the network will become fast”, then understand that he is trying to steal your money. Be alert and give this information to the elders in your house because they often fall prey to such traps.