New Delhi: Personal life has been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While people struggle to recover from an unforeseen calamity, fraudsters take full advantage of the situation.
As the rapid spread of the Omicron variation led to a rise in COVID cases, the Indian government began distributing preventive doses to residents over the age of 60. While steps are being taken to reduce the number of incidents, fraudsters are coming up with new schemes. , Fraudsters posing as health professionals are attempting to defraud consumers and steal their bank account information in the latest COVID booster shot scam. Here’s how the crooks are trying to deceive the public:
As stated earlier, criminals call people as health experts, mainly the elderly, claiming that the precautionary booster is available only to seniors at the moment. The fraudsters then ask if the person has taken another dose, as well as their address, phone number and other personal information. Amazingly, in some circumstances, the caller already has all the relevant information, including the date of vaccination.
After gathering all the information, the con artists contact back to see if anyone is interested in getting a booster shot and if they want a spot. They provided an OTP on the mobile number after the date and time of vaccination was confirmed. Scammers may also request that you download a certain software, such as AnyDesk, to assist with the booking process. OTP is nothing more than a key in a phishing scam, the final step in validating the money transfer from the victim’s bank account. After you give the OTP, all the funds are transferred from your bank account.
According to research, alleged scams are particularly common in rural areas, where the elderly have no understanding of how online banking, UPI or smartphone apps work for booking vaccine slots. Scammers try to dupe consumers by providing them OTPs in exchange for quick money transfers. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself from scams like these:
Being alert for spam/fake calls can help you avoid fraud, be it for COVID slot booking or internet banking. The most important thing to remember is that the government does not offer an option to book vaccination appointments over the phone. The only option to reserve vaccine timing is to visit the Coin portal or download the Aarogya Setu app. Even if you are unable to arrange an appointment online, you can still get the vaccine by registering at any immunization centre. While receiving the OTP, it is recommended that you read the message carefully before proceeding. Second, call filter apps can be downloaded that indicate whether a call is spam.
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}
}
});
/*}
};*/
})(jQuery);
,