The number of fraud cases is rising these days, and a new scam is growing where scammers obtain an OTP by suggesting that people combine calls and carry out bank fraud. In a post on X, NPCI advised users against merging calls with unidentified individuals. Scammers ask you to merge calls when they call you using a friend’s name.
New fraud cases are reported nationwide every day. A new kind of scam has been discovered, and governments have warned about it and recommended people to stay vigilant. Scammers recommend merging calls in this new kind of fraud, then utilize your OTP without providing any information, which results in large-scale bank fraud. Information has been provided by the National Payment Corporation of India, or NPCI, via its X account. Users have been warned and encouraged not to mix calls with an unknown individual in this regard.
How the scam works
The scam starts off with a call from a number that is unknown saying to have got your number from a friend. The con artist then claims that your “friend” is calling from a different number. The conman presses you into answering the call from the other number. The scammer connects to your bank’s OTP verification call as soon as the call is merged. The scammer then moves all of the funds from your bank account to his own fictitious account as soon as the OTP is supplied. You fall prey to a significant bank scam in this way.
How to stay safe from call merge scam
Never answer a call from an unknown number. When you are requested to merge the call, pay carefully.
Before taking any action, confirm the identity of anyone claiming to be your banking relationship manager or someone you know.
Report an OTP to 1930 right away if you receive one for a transaction you have not completed. Your bank will be able to take the appropriate action after learning about the scammer’s scheme.
A poll indicates that over one-third of Indians have been the victims of real-time payment scams.
The rising danger of frauds in the nation has been brought to light by a report published by the international analytics firm FICO. In the study, 54% of respondents received calls from someone who knew someone in their family, and 60% of people received scam texts.
However, compared to 2023, fewer people were victims of online fraud in 2024. But the amount of losses above Rs 8 lakh has increased from 2% to 4%. To put it simply, more people are losing a lot of money to online fraud.