Police have urged the public to be cautious due to an increase in scams involving obtaining OTPs, switching to eSIMs, and compromising bank and social media accounts, as well as scams conducted by creating unauthorized digital wallets.
Police stated that over the past month or so, there has been an increase in attempts by fraudsters to obtain One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and verification links through deceptive phone calls and text messages.
Police also stated that one of the most common tactics currently used is calling the victim, deceiving them by claiming that the mobile number the victim is currently using was previously used by the caller, obtaining the code, and compromising the OTP channels of banks and digital wallets as well as social media accounts.
Police also stated that fraudsters are deceptively attempting to obtain verification codes sent to the phone by claiming they have recently returned from abroad and need to recover their previous email or social media accounts.
The danger of sharing OTPs
Police stated that sharing OTPs or verification links is far more dangerous than merely losing a social media or email account. Specifically, perpetrators:
- Use the obtained information to transfer the victim's mobile number onto the criminals' own phone via eSIM. As a result, they gain full control of the phone line, and all subsequent calls and banking SMS messages are received on their phone.
- Use the compromised number and personal information to create unauthorized digital wallets in that person's name and conduct various transactions.
- Use the stolen information to log into bank accounts, transfer money out of the account, causing financial losses to the public.
For safety, police have requested never to share OTPs or links under any circumstances. Furthermore, in addition to verifying the claims of callers, paying attention to mobile connectivity, and reporting suspicious activities, police have also urged reporting the matter to the police without delay and contacting the bank to freeze accounts.
