Mobile Tower Installation Rent 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. Mobile Tower Installation Rent Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A letter or call promises large monthly rent for a mobile tower on your roof or land, then asks for an advance, NOC or registration fee.

What mobile tower installation rent 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 sends a letter, an email or a call to property owners, or posts classified ads. The offer lists a rent of tens of thousands of rupees each month and a large refundable advance. It uses the name of a known telecom or tower company and a logo copied from the internet. A form is attached, with a contact person and a fake office address.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• A very large monthly rent is offered out of the blue.
• You must pay registration or clearance fees first.
• The fees are paid to personal accounts.
• There is no site visit before money is asked.
• 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 pay any fee to anyone offering tower rent.
2. Contact the telecom company only through its official website or the number on its official documents.
3. Ask for a written contract and a site visit by named staff.
4. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.
5. If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
6. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).

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. Call 1930 right away and give the account details and payment times.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card so it can try to hold the transfers.
3. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the letter and all payment proofs.
4. Watch for misuse of your property papers and IDs, and inform your local police if needed.

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

Safeavio Sentinel's scam check can read the letter or message you paste and show reasons such as upfront fees, a rent that sounds too good and a short deadline. The Money Shield checklist asks who you are paying, why and whether you verified them first. It cannot check whether a company is real or that a tower plan exists, so verify through official contacts.

Full guide: Mobile Tower Installation Rent Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: email, social media.

Questions