Vinod M Jain
A resident of Malleswaram in Bengaluru has fallen victim to an e-SIM swap fraud,losing ₹3 lakh from his bank account after cybercriminals allegedly impersonated Airtel executives and gained control of his mobile number.
According to a complaint registered at the Central CEN Crime Police Station,the victim,employed in a private firm,received a phone call on May 28 from an individual claiming to be an Airtel executive.
The caller convinced him to convert his physical SIM into an e-SIM and collected details including his email address and his mother’s name.
Subsequently,the fraudster sent a 32-digit activation code through WhatsApp and instructed the victim to enter it in the Airtel application.
Soon after,the victim’s mobile network stopped functioning.The next day,he received a Google account alert on his phone,prompting suspicion.
When he approached an Airtel office on May 29,he was informed that an e-SIM had been activated on his number without his knowledge.
On further verification with HSBC Bank,he discovered that Rs.3 lakh had been fraudulently transferred from his account through a transaction bearing ID HSBC202605291000782240.
The complainant alleged that unknown persons had illegally gained access to his mobile number through the e-SIM swap process and used it to facilitate the unauthorized transfer of funds from his bank account.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify the accused and trace the stolen money.
Authorities have advised the public not to share OTPs, SIM activation codes,or personal details with unknown callers claiming to represent telecom service providers.
