BHUBANESWAR: In view of the rising cases of mobile phone thefts and consequent monetary frauds, the state Crime Branch (CB) has urged citizens to lock their SIM cards through the settings in their devices to prevent unauthorised access to the phone numbers and bank accounts linked with them.
The CB said users can lock their SIM cards by clicking on their phone’s security settings, finding the SIM card lock option and enabling it. The users will then be prompted to enter a default PIN or create a new PIN, which adds a layer of security, especially if the mobile phone is lost or stolen.
The agency pointed out that there has been a rise in incidents where miscreants, after stealing the mobile phones, are using the SIM cards to activate the UPI accounts of the victims and transfer money. “If a SIM card is linked to bank accounts or other sensitive services that rely on SMS verification, locking it can prevent unauthorised access to your phone number,” it said.
The advice comes after a retired judge recently lodged a complaint with Cyber Crime and Economic Offence police in Bhubaneswar alleging his mobile phone was stolen in a market here and Rs 5.90 lakh transferred through his UPI account. Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter. Police sources said mobile phones of hundreds of visitors were stolen during Rath Yatra in Puri and subsequently money of many victims was transferred by using their SIMs and activating the UPI accounts. A resident of capital city had visited Puri to attend the Rath Yatra where his mobile phone was stolen and Rs 2.50 lakh transferred through his UPI account. He then lodged a complaint at Cyber Crime and Economic Offence police station here and a case was registered.
“If a stolen phone’s SIM card is inserted into another device, it asks to enter the pin created by the genuine user. SIM locking provides a valuable layer of security during such incidents,” said Cyber Crime and Economic Offence police station ACP Akshaya Kumar Nayak.
CB observed that while stolen mobile phones are being smuggled to Bangladesh via Kolkata, the SIM cards are misused by cyber fraudsters operating in various parts of India. In many instances, it has been noticed that the scammers are using the stolen cards for SIM swapping.
The cyber fraudsters trick the telecom service providers to transfer a genuine customer’s phone number to a new SIM card which is then controlled by them, said Nayak. He further advised that while purchasing new SIM card, citizens should also provide their email ID along with an alternate mobile phone number as it could help them when they contact customer care service to block the SIM card in case their device gets stolen or lost.