Mumbai: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that there are fake SMS and calls in circulation related to incomplete, pending, or expired KYC documents. COAI has issued a public advisory asking users not to reply to these messages and calls.
KYC - know your customer - documents are voter ID card, passport, driving license, Aadhar card.
S P Kochhar, Director General, COAI said that receivers of such messages are falsely advised to call a particular number or download an app on their phones. This can potentially lead to privacy breaches or financial or data loss, reported The News Minute.
These calls may also threaten to block SIM cards. "We caution the general public to beware of such fraudulent SMS and calls. We caution the general public to beware of such fraudulent SMS messages and calls," added the Director-General.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) had also cautioned customers against such calls and messages. The statement of Vi said that users should not share their KYC details or OTPs with anyone. Users should not call back on those numbers or click on the links in the SMS.
Vi statement said that some users reported receiving SMS and calls from unidentified numbers asking them to update KYC. "All customer communication from the company is only done from the SMS ID 'ViCARE'. Any SMS being acted upon which is not originating from 'ViCARE' is strictly not advisable," said Vi.