Operators warn of ‘missed calls’ that could lead to SIM card cloning [Updated]

By Kul Bhushan | Updated on 02-Jul-2012

02-Jul-2012

Update:

There are conflicting reports over the claim that calling back on dubious numbers can lead to SIM cloning. For cloning a SIM card, one needs physical access to it or interception of the communication between caller and operator’s network.

Original post:

If you get a missed call from a number starting with 92, #90 or #09, do not call back on that number, as there are possibilities that your SIM card will get cloned. The telecom operators have reportedly started alerting their subscribers about such dubious calls, especially about the numbers starting with above mentioned prefixes.

According to a Times of India report, over one lakh subscribers have been victims of what is being dubbed as “telecom terror attack”. The report further says Intelligence agencies have confirmed the presence of a racket and that the menace is growing rapidly. “We are sure there must be some more similar combinations that the miscreants are using to clone the handsets and all the information stored in them,” an intelligence officer told TOI. Intelligence agencies have issued special alerts for users in UP West division.

State-run telecom operator, BSNL, has already started issuing alerts to all its broadband subscribers and is currently issuing alerts via SMSes as well.

It’s learnt that one can steal subscriber’s information stored in the phone or even from the external memory after cloning. Also, one can use the cloned copy to make calls to any number they want. “Though it will be established during the course of investigations that the cellphone has been cloned and misused elsewhere, it is sure to land the subscriber under quite some pressure till the time the fact about his or her phone being cloned and misused is established,” intelligence sources are quoted as saying.

It’s not first time when such incident has come into the light. Read our report on smartphones becoming new target for cyber criminals. Earlier this year, the media had reported about an international racket that involved lottery scams, and raked in money when users called back on the premium numbers. According to reports, these racketeers could also clone SIM cards simply when one calls back at that number.

How to keep your phone secure :

Don’t call back on missed calls from suspicious international numbers
Don’t share your personal details such as bank account information
Report such SMSes/missed calls to your operator
You can also report to the TRAI

Have you also received such dubious SMSes or missed calls? Let us know in the comments section below:

Source: TOI

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