Cybercrime officials in Hyderabad alert banking customers to a rising scam exploiting the call-merging function on smartphones, enabling criminals to capture OTPs during fake conference calls and commit unauthorised transactions amid growing cyber fraud concerns.
Cybercrime officials in Hyderabad have warned bank customers to watch for a scam that exploits the call-merging function on smartphones, a method investigators say is being used to trap victims on conference calls while criminals work to capture one-time passwords and complete unauthorised transfers.
According to Telangana Today, the scheme typically begins with a caller posing as a bank employee, courier representative or utility worker. The victim is told that an account has been flagged, a transaction needs verification or a parcel cannot be delivered, then instructed to use the phone’s “Add Call” option and combine the calls. While the target is distracted, the fraudster uses information already gathered to trigger a payment or verification request.
Cybercrime officials said that once the victim reads out an OTP, the criminal can use it to authorise the transaction and siphon money from the account or move funds into accounts under their control. The warning comes amid a wider rise in cyber fraud in Hyderabad, where police have been stepping up enforcement and public advisories after a series of increasingly varied scams.
That wider crackdown has already exposed the scale of the problem. In March, Hyderabad Cybercrime Police said Operation Octopus led to 117 arrests across 16 states, covering cases ranging from trading and investment fraud to OTP-related offences. The operation followed 2,963 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and resulted in the registration of 461 FIRs, with nearly Rs 34.8 lakh refunded to victims, according to local reports.
The latest advisory also fits a pattern seen in earlier warnings from Telangana authorities. Last year, police cautioned residents about credit card frauds involving fake customer-care calls, phishing messages and malicious apps, while the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau separately flagged WhatsApp takeover scams that used rogue APK files disguised as bank or transport service updates. In both cases, the advice was the same: never share OTPs, PINs, passwords or card details with anyone calling unexpectedly.
Officials have urged anyone who receives a suspicious call about a blocked account or unauthorised transaction to hang up and contact the bank only through verified customer-care numbers or official digital channels. They also warned that legitimate financial institutions do not ask customers to disclose confidential banking details over the phone, even when the caller insists urgent action is needed.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
