A resident of Malleswaram has lost ₹3 lakh in a sophisticated cyber fraud after scammers allegedly gained control of his mobile number through an e-SIM swap and accessed his bank account.
According to a complaint filed with the Central CEN Crime Police Station, the victim, who works for a private firm, received a call on May 28 from a person claiming to be an executive of a telecom company.
Fraudsters posed as telecom executives
The caller persuaded the victim to convert his physical SIM card into an e-SIM. During the conversation, the fraudster collected personal details, including his email address and his mother’s name.
The victim was then sent a 32-digit activation code via WhatsApp and was instructed to enter it into the telecom provider’s mobile application.
Shortly afterwards, his mobile network stopped working, raising concerns.
Unauthorised transfer discovered
The following day, the victim received an alert related to his Google account. Suspecting foul play, he visited a telecom service centre, where he was informed that an e-SIM had already been activated on his number without his consent.
Further checks with his bank revealed that ₹3 lakh had been transferred from his account through an unauthorised transaction.
The complainant alleged that cybercriminals had taken control of his mobile number through the fraudulent e-SIM activation process and used it to access banking services linked to the number.
Police issue warning
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify those responsible and recover the stolen funds.
Authorities have urged the public to remain cautious and never share SIM activation codes, OTPs, banking credentials, or personal information with unknown callers claiming to represent telecom service providers.
Cybercrime experts say e-SIM swap frauds are becoming increasingly common and advise customers to verify all requests directly with authorised service centres before taking any action.
