New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has undertaken a proactive initiative to prevent malicious incoming calls and safeguard against cyber crimes and fraud. The Department has advised citizens to be cautious about receiving malicious incoming calls that instruct them to dial *401# followed by an unknown mobile number. This action activates unconditional call forwarding on the mobile phones of citizens to an unknown mobile number, allowing fraudsters to receive all incoming calls and potentially use them for fraudulent activities.
The DoT explains the modus operandi of the scammers:
- The fraudster calls the telecom subscriber and pretends to be a customer service representative or technical support staff from their telecom service provider.
- The fraudster claims that there is a problem with their SIM card or an issue related to network or service quality, and they need to dial a specific code to rectify the problem.
- This code typically begins with *401# followed by a mobile number. Upon doing so, unconditional call forwarding is activated on their mobile number, redirecting all incoming calls to the fraudster’s mobile number. Consequently, the fraudster gains access to all incoming calls, which can be exploited for fraudulent purposes.
The DoT has been actively informing all users and regularly reiterates how to protect oneself:
- Telecom service providers never request their subscribers to dial *401#.
- Check your mobile phone settings for call forwarding and disable it immediately if enabled. Utilize the facility only when necessary.