Noida woman loses ₹27 lakh SIM card fraud, here’s what went wrong and how you can avoid being the next victim

A Noida woman was duped of ₹27 lakh after she fell prey to scammers in the name of embedded SIM (eSIM). According to a Hindustan Times report, the SIM card fraud victim registered a complaint with the cybercrime police station, and an investigation has been initiated.

Jyotsana Bhatia, a resident of Noida Sector 82, received a WhatsApp call from someone who pretended to be a telecom firm's customer care executive. The person explained to her a new feature of e-SIM that could be activated if her mobile phone got lost. Convinced by the call, the woman agreed to switch to an e-SIM and shared a code she had received on message with the person. The scammer also assured the woman that she would receive a physical sim in the next 2-3 days, but what happened next, left a lifelong impact on her life.

No SIM card in three days

Three days after the SIM card deactivation, the woman didn't receive a new SIM card, so she dialed the customer care number.

“When she did not receive the SIM card on September 1, she dialled customer care and was instructed to visit the service centre for a duplicate SIM,” Vijay Kumar Gautam, station house officer (SHO), cybercrime branch, told Hindustan Times.

The 44-year-old woman visited the service centre and got herself a new SIM card . When she activated her number, Bhatia received multiple messages of money deductions from her bank account.

“The suspect broke my fixed deposit, siphoned off money from two bank accounts, and extended a loan of ₹7.40 lakh in my name without my knowledge,” read Bhatia's statement in an FIR accessed by HT.

Moreover, the suspect even accessed her mobile banking application through her mobile number. He also changed her email ID and carried out multiple transactions to debit money around ₹27 lakh. The police have registered a case and begun an investigation to nab the criminals.

Noida eSIM fraud case: What went wrong?

The woman ignored several red flags. The first one was a WhatsApp call by a customer care executive, which is very unlikely in real situations. It has been highly advised to not share any OTP or password to anyone on phone. 

How to avoid eSIM card fraud?

-An eSIM is a digital SIM card which doesn't require the use of a physical chip for operation. People are always advised to switch to eSIM only after reading the process from an official website source or by meeting a telecom executive in person at the service centre.

-Always verify the identity of anyone requesting sensitive information.

-Be cautious of unsolicited calls or messages regarding new features or services. People need to be extra careful if the call has been made from applications like WhatsApp.

-Regularly monitor bank accounts and report any suspicious activity immediately.