SIM Swap Bank Fraud 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. SIM Swap Bank Fraud is one of the ways this shows up: Fraudsters get a duplicate SIM issued for your number, receive your bank OTPs and drain your account. A sudden loss of signal is the first sign.

What sim swap bank fraud looks like through an app

• An app outside the official store that asks for many permissions.
• A screen-sharing or remote-control app that a caller asks you to install.
• A loan app that asks for contacts and photos.

The fraudster first collects your personal details through phishing links, fake KYC calls, leaked data or a chat in which you shared your name, date of birth and address. They may also gather your bank login details through a lookalike page. None of this is enough alone, because the OTP still goes to your SIM, so the next step is to take your number.

Red flags to check on the app

• Your phone loses network for a long time without a reason.
• A caller asks you to press a key or share a code for a SIM upgrade.
• You get bank alerts about password or number changes you did not make.
• A message about a new SIM request arrives that you did not ask for.
• 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. Never share a code or press a key for a SIM upgrade on a call.
2. If your signal drops, use another phone to call your operator on the number on your bill.
3. Call your bank from another phone and ask to block net banking and UPI.
4. Run a phone scan (Safeavio Sentinel lists risky apps and settings).
5. Call your bank, and call 1930 if money moved.
6. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).

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. Call 1930 quickly from another phone and give the details and time.
2. Call your bank on the number printed on your card and block accounts, cards and UPI.
3. Ask your operator to block the duplicate SIM and issue a new one after identity checks.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in and change all banking passwords.

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

Safeavio includes a SIM-change alert for the anti-theft feature, which can tell the owner through the portal that the SIM in a protected phone has changed. That helps for a lost or stolen phone, but it cannot see a swap done by the operator on your number. Pay attention to a sudden loss of signal and call your bank from another phone.

Full guide: SIM Swap Bank Fraud: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, SMS, email.

Questions