Vodafone Idea users, this KYC SMS can be dangerous – Times of India

There’s a new SMS scam that is targeting Vodafone Idea (VI) subscribers across India. The scam SMS is around eKYC of Vodafone Idea subscribers that is threatening people to submit documents for eKYC verification by calling a certain number within 24 hours of the receipt of the message to avoid discontinuation of services. Note that this message is not sent officially by the company and is being spread by scammers to get hold of personal data to carry out financial scams at a later date.
“Dear customer, Your Vodafone SIM e-KYC Pending Documents. Call Vodafone helpline no 786XXXXX immediately. Your mobile no. will be stopped 24hr,” reads the scam message. The intention of this message is to scare users into revealing personal details like email ID, contact numbers, address, Aadhaar details, photo, etc.
The details could be used to carry out other scams and even target a victim’s online banking account. Usually, scams like these are conducted in two stages, where personal data are collected separately to ultimately create a personalised phishing message to harvest online banking details, social media passwords, etc.
Mobile users are advised to not respond to messages like this or reveal any personal information to anyone over call. In case, you need any help, always visit the official store or call the authorised customer care phone number for support.
In May, Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal warned the company’s subscribers about a rise in cyber frauds amid a massive surge in online transactions during the second wave of the pandemic. He at the same time asserted that the company is working “relentlessly” and coming out with safety features to ensure customers do not become victims of these frauds.
Vittal said that there have been some instances of fraudsters calling customers pretending to be Airtel employees and cheating them. In case this happens, immediately call 121. These include EKYC, OTP or any other fraud. “In fact, I would say when in doubt simply call 121,” said Vittal in the letter.