Check Before Calling - Beware of Fraud

Last week, I was busy when I received a call from the mobile number- 995416754.

The caller "Sanjay Manjhi" said there was a parcel in my name.

I asked if the delivery agent had reached my address.

He said that he was calling from the head-office, and the delivery agent was unable to find my address.

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The caller requested me to call the number of the delivery person that he had messaged me.

The caller said that the agent was close to my home but unable to locate my address, and it would be nice if I called him and guided him.

I asked him to call the agent and to ask the agent to call me.

He could search for our address on the map, as it is very much registered online.

I have been receiving parcels from delivery agents without any issues.

He asked where is the address?!

I said he would have my address as the address must be on the parcel!

As the caller requested me to call the number he had messaged, I opened my SMS inbox.

I found the message, and there were some extra characters apart from the phone number.

I ignored the *21* & # namely the extra non-related digits in the message, and I simply copied the 10-digit given mobile number and dialled- 8434909230

That number was switched off.

I called "Sanjay Manjhi" and told him that I had called that number and it was not reachable, and asked him to communicate to the agent directly.

He asked me to dial the numbers in the entire message given in the SMS i.e. *21*84349 09230#

Why was he so insistent that I call the agent using those very characters and numbers?

If this were a genuine case, they would have done the job of reaching out, instead of creating a sense of urgency and requesting and even threatening that the parcel will be returned!

I calmly and firmly said that I was not going to dial any other numbers.

"You will not call that number?" He sounded flustered.

"No, I will not call", I replied being very sure that I was doing the right thing.

By then, I had suspected that this was a fraud call, and that the scammer was trying to do Call Forwarding.

I immediately checked online- what *21* was.

My guess was right.

It was indeed their plan to activate call forwarding and gain access to my number's messages.

And that plan was foiled as I did some quick checking and thinking.

You can see the SMS conversation:

He tried calling me twice.

But, I did not receive his calls.

I understood *21* with # caused Call Forwarding.

I found-

The code *#121# is the code that can be used to check the status of unconditional call forwarding on your mobile device.

Dialing this number and pressing “Call” will show if your calls, SMS, and data are being forwarded to another number, along with the specific phone number it is redirected to.

One can disable active forwarding by immediately dialing ##002#

I checked the Call Forwarding status on my phone.

Nothing is active now, as it is "Disabled".

You too can check on your phone.

Dialing sequences with 21 are mobile network USSD codes used to MANAGE CALL FORWARDING. 

Depending on the symbols added with 21, the code-

a- checks if your incoming calls are being redirected, 

b- activates your calls to be forwarded, 

c- turns off Call Forwarding feature.

• Check Status (*#21#)- Dialling this displays a menu showing whether your voice calls, SMS, or data are being diverted to another number.
• Activate Forwarding (**21*PhoneNumber#)- Dialling this with a specific phone number sets all incoming calls to be forwarded to that number.
• Turn Off Call Forwarding (##21#)- Dialling this disables any active call forwarding that has been set on your number.

Warning:

Let us avoid typing or dialling a code that starts with *21. 

Scammers often use this trick to fool people into forwarding their calls to a scammer's number. 

Our simple act of following the scammer's instructions with the activate call forwarding option gives the scammer access to our sensitive and confidential information viz. one-time passwords (OTPs), bank verification calls, codes etc.- in short, the complete key and access to your digital accounts.

I was wondering about the senior citizens and other unsuspecting souls who get scammed this way.

We tend to trust people, believe them and try to be helpful.

But, then all these humane acts are exploited by such unscrupulous elements, and we have to pay a heavy price by losing our wealth and even our time and mental health.

This post is to report this recent fraud call.

Please note- There are many people looking for opportunities to loot and scoot. And, if we are not vigilant and careful, we can be at the receiving end, walking into their trap by dialling the number they urgently request/command!

There are a lot of scams online.

People also get kidnapping/ransom calls where they hear the voices of their loved ones asking for help or begging to save them. Those are actually AI-generated voice replicas, and those "kidnappers" actually want to steal money by creating panic and conditions enabling quick money transfer.

Let no one be cheated.

The Govt. of India has warned us to stay away from such USSD-based call forwarding codes as per this Times of India report.

Check before believing and calling - Beware of Fraud.

Please share with your loved ones.

Here are some of my online fraud and cyber crime-related posts-

Identity Theft

Online Scams, Cyber Fraud and Safe Digital Banking

Have you ever been scammed? Do share in the comments below.