Fake e-KYC Video Call and Selfie Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

A fake app can be installed from a link, from a file sent on chat or even from a lookalike listing. Once on your phone it can ask for powerful permissions. Fake e-KYC Video Call and Selfie Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A caller says a video KYC is needed to keep your account active, records your face and ID, then uses them for loans and accounts.

What fake e-kyc video call and selfie scam looks like through an app

• A screen-sharing or remote-control app that a caller asks you to install.
• A loan app that asks for contacts and photos.
• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.

The scammer starts with a call or WhatsApp message from a person claiming to work for a bank, wallet or lending app. They say your account is limited or a loan has been pre-approved and that a short video KYC will unlock it. They sound calm and helpful and use words from real processes, like liveness check and agent verification.

Red flags to check on the app

• You did not start the KYC and the call came to you.
• The caller sends a video link through chat.
• You are asked to read out an OTP during the video.
• You are told to install a screen sharing app.
• You were told to install it by a stranger or a caller.
• It has few or odd reviews, or a name with spelling changes.

What to do

1. End the call and do not join the link.
2. Start any KYC yourself from the lender's official app.
3. Do not show documents or read out codes to a caller.
4. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).
5. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.
6. Change the passwords of your bank and email from a clean device if the app had access.

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. If you shared documents, check your credit report for loans you do not recognise.
2. Call 1930 if any money has been taken.
3. Report to the real lender or bank through its official app or card number so they can flag the attempt.
4. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the call time and number.

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

Safeavio Sentinel can check a message or link you receive about a video KYC and show why it looks risky, such as urgency, an OTP request or fake authority. The phone scan lists installed apps and flags screen sharing style apps from outside a store. It cannot join or monitor your calls, and it cannot tell whether a caller is real. Use official apps and the number on your card instead.

Full guide: Fake e-KYC Video Call and Selfie Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp.

Questions