Fraudsters Using 5G to Dupe Victims: Everything You Should Know to Stay Safe

As India is stepping into the 5G era, there is a surge in scams related to the next-gen mobile network. The Mumbai Police department has taken an initiative to alert citizens against 5G-related scams as fraudsters are eying for opportunities to dupe unsuspecting customers who are eager to try the 5G services. In addition to the Mumbai Police, several other government bodies have issued advisories on how to stay safe from such scams.

Mumbai Police has taken to Twitter to share the details of how scammers are trying to dupe users. It is said that they are calling unsuspecting users in the disguise of executives from telecom operators and claim to help them upgrade from 4G to 5G. They will send a link to the users, which can be used to extract their banking credentials.

5G Scam Alert!

This tweet from Mumbai Police comes as a warning for people who do not want to fall prey to scams. It ensures that one should never share their personal information or banking details with anyone or click on any malicious or suspicious links they receive from unknown people. It was noted that the scammers could put pressure on people to share these details via unknown links.

The tweet includes an image that reveals how the fraudsters might act and their modus operandi of duping victims. It is important to keep these in mind to stay safe from all scams and not just those related to 5G.

Not the First Advisory from Government Bodies

While this initiative by the Mumbai Police is appreciable, this is not the first such advisory from the government bodies warning users of 5G scams. Recently, we have come across warnings from cybersecurity units of several state police warning users to keep them safe from falling into the trap set by scammers.

Last week, the Hyderabad Cyber crime wing issued a warning on Twitter. In the tweet in Telugu, the officials noted that the cybercriminals are sending malicious links claiming to help users upgrade to 5G. If an unsuspecting user opens the link, the user's phone could be hacked. It noted that users who are not vigilant will be in danger.

They reported that the hackers are targeting victims' bank accounts by sending links to upgrade from 4G to 5G SIM. These links are sent along with the names of telecom operators, they noted. It is always important to check for details before clicking on malicious or suspicious links.

Besides, the Gurugram Police has also issued a warning against scammers. The department asked residents not to share OTPs with tele-callers as they can steal the money in their bank accounts with these details. The city's Deputy Commissioner of Police stated that with the news of the 5G rollout, there is a surge in the number of such incidents.

Updates on the Rollout of 5G Services in India

While 5G was launched in India on October 1 by PM Narendra Modi at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022, only Airtel and Jio have announced their 5G rollout plans for now. These companies have started offering their next-gen mobile services in specific cities initially. What's more, Airtel and Jio have clarified that their subscribers need not upgrade their SIM cards from 4G to 5G to use the next-generation mobile network.

While some 5G smartphones readily support 5G connectivity, some models await an OTA update from the maker to support the next-gen mobile services. We have already seen a list of smartphones compatible with Airtel 5G services in the supported regions. The government is also pushing manufacturers to speed up the process to offer 5G on their devices. In addition, Apple and Samsung have confirmed when their devices will get the 5G update.