Airtel issues advisory - Beware of Fraudulent Phone callers

Bharti Airtel has issued an advisory to inform the general public of some fraudulent activity that has potential to impact customers of several mobile operators.

As per the press release, Airtel has learnt that customers are arbitrarily being targeted by callers who pretend to be calling on behalf of the customer’s telecom operator and inform the recipient that he/she has won a lottery/award conducted by the respective telecom operator.

Mostly, customers receive a missed call from a number starting with +92. Once they call back, the customer gets connected to a fraudster who poses as Airtel or another mobile representative. The fraudster then tells the caller that s/he has won an operator-sponsored lottery. Once an unsuspecting caller tries to know more about this, s/he is asked to reveal sensitive personal information and certain commission amount in order to receive the winnings. Such commission is usually asked to be paid via DTH recharge vouchers.

Bharti Airtel intends to warn its customers that these calls are made from fraudsters with malicious intent and they do not represent the company.

Accordingly, Airtel has issued a general advisory to all mobile/landline users to protect them from such malicious activities. These include:

• Avoid responding to suspicious missed calls from unknown numbers, especially those beginning with +92.

• Do not respond to any SMS from unknown sources prompting to call on a number. ;

• Refrain from sharing any personal information & identity proofs like Voter ID Number, PAN Number, Bank Account Number, Credit Card information or make any payment to people promising lottery or other unexpected awards.

• Do not disclose your handset IMEI or SIM card number to unknown callers. IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a unique code given by handset manufacturer for your number. This can be obtained by pressing *#06#.

• In case of suspicious calls, report the same to the concerned security authorities / service provider

For further information and details, Airtel customers are requested to visit Airtel website at: http://www.airtel.in/fraudAlert/fraudalert.html