Andaman and Nicobar Police Public Advisory on Smishing

Sri Vijaya Puram, Nov 10: Cybercriminals send text messages pretending to be from trusted sources to get targets to click on links that install malware or steal personal & banking details. It has been observed that Cyber fraudsters have started duping people in the name of unpaid electricity bills. The fraud campaign is being aggressively spread using SMSs. Users tend to be less skeptical of text messages, so Smishing is often lucrative to attackers looking for credentials, banking information, or private data.
• Fraudsters send text messages (SMSs) to the target phone numbers starting “Your Electricity Power will be disconnected tonight at 9:30 pm because your previous month bill was not updated. Please immediately contact our electricity officer 9898XXXXXX”. Once the victim makes contact with the given fraudster’s number, then the fraudster tries to convince the victim to share the bank account details for the purposes of verifying previous payments.
• Spammers use caller ID Spoofing to make it appear the text is from a trusted or local source.
• The fraudster also asks the victim to install remote access applications like Anydesk, Team viewer, etc.
• Once the victim shares all the information and follows the instructions given by the fraudster, the victim’s bank account is under the fraudster’s control to make fraudulent transactions.
In this regard, Andaman and Nicobar Police issue the following advisory to safeguard yourself against Smishing.
1. Avoid sharing your phone number unless you know the person or organization well.
2. Spammers use caller ID Spoofing to make it appear the text is from a trusted or local source.
3. Avoid downloading software from unofficial sources. Remove non-essential applications.
4. Avoid providing personal or financial information in response to the unsolicited text or at a website linked to the message.
5. Avoid clicking on links in suspicious text; they could install malware on your device or take you to a site that does the same.
6. Report any such incidents on the cybercrime.gov.in portal and follow @CyberDost on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Public, Koo and LinkedIn to know more about safety tips.
For any assistance, information or enquiries, please contact: Cyber Crime Police Station, A&N Islands, over Cyber Helpline No. 1930, 9531856083 or visit cybercrime.gov.in.