Fraud risk: Cyber criminals manipulate search engine results to display fake customer care numbers.
Data theft: Calling these fraudulent numbers can lead to financial loss and phishing scams.
Official sources: Always verify helplines directly through official brand websites or verified apps.
Don’t Trust Customer Care Numbers From Web Searches: Kerala Police
Cyber Police Issue Urgent Warning Regarding Fake Helpline Numbers and Online Fraud Scams
Summary
Kerala police have cautioned the public against cyber fraudsters using fake customer care numbers of banks and e-commerce platforms to dupe people and obtain their personal and financial information.
In a statement, police said fraudsters were posting fake customer care numbers on the internet, following which people seeking assistance were contacted by persons posing as customer support agents.
The fraudsters then ask victims to install remote access or screen-sharing applications on their phones, purportedly to resolve their complaints, police said.
They may ask victims to pay small amounts, such as Rs 5, as a registration or verification fee, and use such interactions to obtain banking and personal information or carry out larger financial frauds, police said.
Police advised the public not to blindly trust customer care numbers found through internet searches and to use only the official websites or applications of service providers.
People should not install remote access or screen-sharing applications or make payments at the request of strangers, and should never share OTPs, PINs, passwords or card details, police said.
If a caller raises suspicion, the call should be ended immediately, and the concerned institution contacted through its official channels or by visiting its nearest branch, they added.
Anyone who falls victim to cyber financial fraud should immediately report it to the cybercrime helpline 1930 or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at (www.cybercrime.gov.in), police said.
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