Call Forwarding Code Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. Call Forwarding Code Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller asks you to dial a special code on your phone for a delivery or a refund. It forwards your calls and OTP voice calls to the scammer.

What call forwarding code scam looks like over the phone

• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.
• A second "senior officer" who takes over the call.
• An unknown or international number, or a number that looks like a real office.

The scammer first makes a contact that gives them a reason to ask for something simple. A common one is a delivery call: the courier cannot find your address and asks you to dial a code so the system can capture your location. Another is a bank support call saying a refund needs 'activation'. The request is short and sounds technical, and the caller stays on the line while you do it.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• A caller asks you to dial a code starting with star or hash.
• The code includes a mobile number you do not know.
• They stay on the line while you dial.
• They say it will only take a few seconds.
• The caller wants you to install an app to "fix" something.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.

What to do

1. Do not dial codes read out by a caller.
2. To check forwarding, open your phone's call settings and look for call forwarding.
3. Turn off all forwarding you did not set up.
4. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
5. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.
6. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Turn off call forwarding in settings straight away.
2. Call 1930 if any money moved or an account was accessed.
3. Change passwords for email and banking from a clean device.
4. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the time and number of the call.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check reads text you paste, including a note of what a caller asked, and flags pressure to dial codes or share OTPs. The phone scan reviews risky settings and apps. It does not block calls or read your call forwarding by itself, so check that in your phone's own call settings. It cannot see what the caller did, so act quickly in settings and with your bank.

Full guide: Call Forwarding Code Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, SMS.

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