Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

SMS scams lean on short, urgent lines and a shortened link. The message looks official because the sender name (header) is shaped to resemble a real organisation. Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call is one of the ways this shows up: An SMS or call says an expensive order was placed in your name and offers a cancel link. The cancel page is built to steal your card or UPI PIN.

What fake order confirmation and cancel request call looks like by SMS

• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".

The scammer sends a bulk message with an invented order amount, product name and order number. He does not need to know what you bought, because the shock of a large unknown purchase is enough to make you act. The sender name or email sign-off copies a popular shopping brand, and the layout copies a real receipt with a tidy table of items and a delivery date.

Red flags to check on the text message

• A high-value order appears that you did not place.
• The cancel option is a link or a phone number inside the same message.
• The caller wants an OTP, a PIN or an app installed in order to cancel.
• A short deadline is given before the item is 'dispatched'.
• It promises a refund, prize or cashback you never asked for.
• It tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.

What to do

1. Open the shopping app yourself and check your order history for the item.
2. Do not tap the link or call the number in the message.
3. If there is no such order, ignore the message and report the number via Sanchar Saathi.
4. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
5. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
6. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in straight away with the SMS and the payment reference.
2. Call your bank on the number on your card and ask to block the card and any pending transaction.
3. Remove any app the caller made you install and change your passwords from a different device.
4. Check the shopping account and email for logins you did not make.

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

Paste the order message into Scam check in Safeavio Sentinel, or share it from your messages app, and it shows the reasons it looks risky, such as pressure and a request for a code. Link check tests the cancel link before you open it. If you installed an app on a caller's request, Phone scan can show newly installed apps and risky permissions. Safeavio cannot confirm whether an order exists in your account, so check the shopping app itself.

Full guide: Fake Order Confirmation and Cancel Request Call: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp, email.

Questions