What is call merging scam which can make you lose all your saving? Mint Explains

Barely in the first five months of 2025, Indians lost nearly ₹7,000 crore to online scams, an estimate by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revealed.

The growing prevalence of these frauds was noted recently by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra who -- at Global Fintech Fest 2025 --said early last month that the digital frauds occurring are increasingly becoming a problem for the country.

During the same event, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that several deepfake videos of her were being circulated online and manipulated to mislead citizens and distort fact.

However, one fraud which – although uncommon – but potent enough to rip you of your entire savings is call merging fraud. Let us understand more on this here.

What is call merging fraud?

In the call merging scam, fraudsters carry out meticulously timed sequence of calls to intercept one time password (OTP) sent via call. This is their modus operandi: A fraudster (pretending to be someone you know) would call wherein he would convince you to merge the call with a ‘friend or a collague’ but it would, in fact, be an automated call from the bank which is about to deliver an OTP. This is typically how it happens:

I. Someone pretending to be a banker or an acquaintance calls and gives a tempting offer of an exclusive event, sale etc. The caller wants to win over your trust.

II. During the call, the caller would request you to merge the call which, he would claim, is from a friend or a colleague related to what is being discussed over the call. This would create a sense of urgency for you. But it would actually be a bank's automated voice call delivering OTP.

III. Now what it leads to is a three-way call between you, the caller (who is a fraudster) and your bank. And when the OTP is read, the fraudster would hear it in real time.

IV. With OTP in hand, the fraudster can practically take complete control of your bank account and can carry out transactions fraudulently, ripping you off all your savings.

Sounds scary? Isn't it? Take these simple steps to avoid this:

1. Never merge any call on the urging of a stranger.

2. Make sure to call 1930 and inform the bank at the same time when you get an OTP for no reason.

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