Vizag sees surge in SMS phishing scams, victims lose lakhs

A disturbing wave of SMS phishing, or “smishing,” is actively targeting residents across the state, including Visakhapatnam. Cybercriminals are sending deceptive messages that resemble bank alerts, aiming to instill panic and coerce individuals into divulging sensitive information.

The police have confirmed that this scam works by sending victims text alerts about unauthorized debits from their bank accounts. Shocked by these messages, people are tricked into interacting with fraudsters and often end up downloading remote-access apps, resulting in heavy financial losses.

In a recent alarming case, a 50-year-old woman in Vizag received a call from someone pretending to be an employee of a food delivery platform. She was pressured to redeem coupon points by downloading an app. Although she suspected it was a scam and hung up at first, persistent calls continued. Afterwards, an SMS claimed that Rs 5 lakh had been debited from her account. In the end, a second call convinced her to install a remote-access app and share sensitive information, which led to the theft of about Rs 7 lakh.

The police have reported that at least 20 people in Vizag have fallen victim to similar scams in just the past two weeks, with total losses exceeding Rs 25 lakh. These fraudulent messages are crafted to closely resemble legitimate bank alerts, creating an atmosphere of fear and urgency to manipulate victims.

Cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm, urging users to scrutinize message content, verify sender details, and avoid responding to any messages that demand immediate action. It’s imperative to remain vigilant, especially when messages appear unprofessional or out of the ordinary.