KOCHI: Police warn public against fraudsters operating under the guise of government representatives to trick people into revealingtheir OTPs and other sensitive information,all under the cover of registration for
Covid-19 vaccine
While authorities are working towards a feasible mechanism that helps administer the Covid-19 vaccine, online fraudsters are back in action under the cover of registration for the vaccination. The Ernakulam Rural police have observed several instances in which fraudsters have lured the public offering the first dose of the vaccine, before doctors and other frontline warriors.
The police have issued an alert directing the people to keep vigil against such online frauds in the guise of registration. The fraudsters primarily seek details of the Aadhaar card, email ID and then One-Time Passwords (OTPs) received on the target's mobile phone which would eventually help them access money from bank accounts. Therefore, the police have asked the public to ignore such calls and never disclose information about debit and credit cards.
“As preparations are under way to administer the vaccine, the public is likely to fall in such traps. The frauds use the same modus operandi as those involved in defrauding people offering loans, jobs, gifts, visas, and income tax refunds,” said K Kar thick, SP, Ernakulam Rural.
“We have not received formal complaints so far. However, the police have issued an alert to educate the public,” said a Cyber Cell official. Recently, the rural police arrested a Kolkata native, the kingpin of the gang which robbed Rs 1.5 crore from the state through online fraud, from Bengaluru. The fraud was operated using duplicate SIM cards, thereby accessing the online bank account of the target.
As per directions of the police
Reject phone calls citing registration for administering Covid vaccine
Don’t share the OTP you receive on your mobile phone
Don’t share credit/debit card information
Modus operandi
According to the police, the fraudsters, mostly operating from Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Haryana, send links via SMS or WhatsApp to convince people that they’re genuine representatives of government agencies. They then pressure people to make an advance payment to their bank accounts by assuring early booking of Covid-19 vaccine.
The fraudsters seek details of the Aadhaar card, email ID and One-Time Passwords received on the victim's mobile phone