5G SIM Card Scam on the Rise; Here's How to Stay Safe

| Updated: Thursday, October 13, 2022, 13:47 [IST]

The 5G mobile network was announced in India at the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 last week. A few days later, Airtel and Jio announced their 5G rollout plans in select cities across the country. While people are excited to try out the next-gen mobile services on their smartphones and experience faster connectivity, there is a surge in the scams related to 5G SIM cards.

Telcos are in the need to amp up communication warning their subscribers of the increasing SIM swap frauds. As per the Hyderabad Cyber crime wing reported by abplive, a new fraud is targeting innocent and unsuspecting people who are looking forward to accessing 5G services.

5G SIM Card Fraud

The report notes that there is a surge in the number of complaints wherein people are losing money from their bank accounts after clicking on links received on their phones. Some scammers are sending a link to the victims' phones asking them to upgrade from 4G to 5G network. In the excitement of getting better connectivity, people click on this link mistaking it to be an official message from the telecom operator.

However, in reality, cybercriminals hack the victims' phones and steal sensitive data. As per the report, once users click on the malicious link, the scammers will know the mobile number linked to the bank accounts. They will block the phone number and swap the SIM card, thereby making people lose access to their own SIM. Due to this 5G SIM card scam, many people have lost their money as cybercriminals take control of their phones.

How to Stay Safe From 5G SIM Card Scam

The Cyber wing has warned users not to click on any messages stating "Switch from 4G to 5G" from unknown senders or numbers. It is always important to check for details before clicking on malicious or suspicious links. What's more, Airtel and Jio, the two telcos rolling out their 5G networks in select cities across India have clarified that their subscribers need not upgrade their SIM card from 4G to 5G to use the next-generation mobile network.