Never Dial *401#: The Govt Warns People On Call Forwarding Scam

The Ministry of Communications, through the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is actively addressing the threat of malicious incoming calls to mitigate cybercrimes and fraud.

Citizens are cautioned to be vigilant against malicious incoming calls asking them to dial *401# followed by an unfamiliar mobile number. This action triggers unconditional call forwarding on the citizen's mobile to the specified unknown number, enabling fraudsters to intercept all incoming calls and potentially engage in fraudulent activities.

The Department emphasizes the importance of staying alert to this deceptive tactic to prevent falling victim to scams.

Modus Operandi of Scamsters

• The fraudster calls the telecom subscriber and pretends to be a customer service representative or technical support staff from their telecom service provider.
• The fraudster states that either there is a problem with their SIM card or there is some issue related to network or service quality and they need to dial a specific code to fix the problem. This code usually starts with *401# followed by a mobile number.
• After doing so unconditional call forwarding is activated on their mobile number and all incoming calls etc. are forwarded to the fraudster's mobile number.
• The fraudster then receives all incoming calls and can be used for fraud.

How to protect yourself:

• The telecom service providers never ask their subscribers to dial *401#
• Check your mobile phone settings for call forwarding and disable immediately in case it is enabled. Use the facility only when it is required.