Palakkad: The Kerala Police have issued a warning to mobile phone users to stay alert against eSIM (embedded SIM) fraud. The police made the announcement after several such crimes were reported recently in the state and 18 cases were registered during the last two months.

According to the police, mobile users receive fake calls from fraudsters posing as customer care executives of service providers to learn their bank account details and swindle money. Meanwhile, 97 such complaints were filed with the National Cyber Crime Portal from various states, with the total amount of money swindled amounting to over Rs 7 crore.

What is an eSIM?
An eSIM or digital SIM does not have a physical SIM, and it can be activated online without the customer visiting the telecom company's office. Moreover, telecom firms can directly programme and deactivate the SIM and transfer the connection to another phone.

How is the fraud committed?
Fraudsters, claiming to be from the customer care section of telecom firms, call mobile users and ask them to activate the eSIM by entering the 32-digit e-ID in the app or website of the company. Customers falling for the trick would receive a QR code in their email, which the fraudsters would ask them to send by WhatsApp to a number given by the gang. On receiving the QR code, the fraudsters will activate the eSIM on their phones, and the SIM of the customer will be in full control of the gang.

Subsequently, the SIM with the customers will not work and the gang will inform them that it will be activated only after 24 hours. Meanwhile, the fraudsters would be able to control bank accounts linked to the phone number and receive the OTPs for transactions in the gang’s phone.

Tips to stay safe
Send SMS to activate eSIM and shift it to another phone only to the telecom service provider's authorized number.
Activate eSIM only with the QR code received in your registered email ID. Do not send the QR code to anyone else. The telecom companies never ask for your QR code.

If you are already using an eSIM linked to your bank accounts, money apps or cloud platform accounts, set two-factor authentication for these accounts. Use ‘two-step verification’ for all digital accounts.