Sophisticated Tech To Dupe People

Scammers are using advanced technology to dupe people. This includes using voice morphing software to impersonate real people, such as bank representatives or government officials. They may also use fake phone numbers that appear to be from legitimate organizations. Cyber criminals are using artificial intelligence to make clones of people's voices to pretend to be your friend or family member and scam your money.

"Like Video" scam is a type of phone scam that targets social media users. The scammer will call the victim and claim to be from a social media company, such as Facebook or Instagram. They will then tell the victim that they have won a prize or a contest, but that they need to "like" a certain video in order to claim it.

If you take the call forward and reply to the person, they will tempt you into earning thousands of rupees just by liking a video, which is actually a malicious website that will steal the victim's personal information. The scam then proceeds through multiple steps which means people have earned a couple of hundred bucks for their efforts.

Some tips to help you protect from these scams are:

· Be wary of any unsolicited calls, especially those from phone numbers you don't recognize.

· If you do receive a call from someone claiming to be from a legitimate organization, ask for their name and contact information. Then, hang up the phone and call the organization back at a number you know is real.

· Never give out personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account number, over the phone.

· If you think you may have been scammed, report it to the authorities immediately.

· Be suspicious of any caller who asks for personal information, such as your Aadhar card number, bank account number, or credit card number.

Telcos in the country have talked about using AI to block spam calls but the effect of those changes haven’t been felt so far and now, facing scammers through network calls is going to pose more issues for the operators.

Make sure you don't disclose any personal or banking details, which could prove to be dangerous and result in losing money from your account.

S Mohini Ratna, Editor, VARINDIA