Cyber Criminals Are Draining Bank Accounts Using Fake Customer Care Numbers — Here’s How to Stay Safe
Do you often turn to the internet to find a company’s customer care number? If the answer is yes, beware. Cyber criminals are defrauding people by submitting their numbers to internet searches.
- By: Ashish Maharishi
- Published: Sep 19, 2025 at 11:42 AM
- Updated: Sep 30, 2025 at 10:37 AM
New Delhi (Ashish Maharishi). Do you also use the internet to find the customer care number of any company? If yes, then be careful, as the cyber criminals are defrauding people by feeding their numbers into internet searches. To defraud people, scammers get their numbers listed on the internet. When customers call the fake numbers, the fraudsters extract personal and banking information and siphon off money from their accounts. First, let’s learn about some recent frauds.
Case No. 1
Basuki Nath, a resident of Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, reported that his Jio Hotstar subscription of ₹299 was auto-debited on June 24, 2025. The following day, another ₹299 was deducted again. He then searched for the customer care number online to deactivate his Jio Hotstar’s auto-pay subscription. The number he received was fake, and a cyber fraudster sent him a link. After clicking on it, a total of ₹14.78 lakh was withdrawn from his bank account. The fraudster hacked his mobile phone and deleted the message after transferring the money.
Case No. 2
In May 2025, Anand Kumar Singh, a resident of Gurugram, Haryana, found it difficult to find the mobile number of Patanjali Yog Peeth Centre, Haridwar, online to treat his father’s knee pain. An internet search found a number. Upon calling this number, a cyber fraudster duped him of 1.8 lakh rupees.
In both cases, cyber fraud was perpetrated by clicking on a link. This is not a new case of cyber fraud by downloading APK files. Due to a lack of information, people fall prey to cyber fraud.
To get to the bottom of such cases, Vishvas News took the help of cyber experts and top police officials. Cyber security expert Chatak Vajpayee explained that if we do not stay alert while searching for a customer care number, it is easy to get duped. Actually, scammers get their number listed in the top Google searches using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). After this, as soon as a customer searches for a company’s number on Google, the fake number appears first. The customer thinks it is the real number and calls.
Vajpayee further explains that the fraud process then proceeds. Scammers hack customers’ phones by sending them a link, mostly an APK file. In some cases, the scam is also carried out using screen-sharing apps.
Cyber expert Arya Tyagi says that it’s common for hackers to hack a user’s mobile phone while searching for a company’s customer care number or downloading an app. Therefore, if you ever receive an APK file or a link or a PDF from an unknown number, don’t click on it, even by mistake.
Cyber criminals use SEO to rank their fake websites or social media pages. This means that when people search for a company’s number online, the fake website appears at the top. Users believe it’s the real website. Upon contacting the number, the contact details are collected, and an APK file is sent via WhatsApp. As soon as the user clicks on it, hackers gain access to their entire phone, allowing them to siphon off bank accounts.
On June 16, 2025, the State Bank of India (SBI) posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) alerting its customers to be cautious when searching for customer care numbers online. Scammers may use this to defraud you.
How to spot a fake website
When searching for a company’s customer care number online, always rely on the information on the original website. Remember, the first website that appears during a search may not necessarily be the real one. Cyberdost, the social media platform of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs, offers some tips on identifying fake websites.
– Fake websites usually open excessive pop-up messages.
– Fake websites often contain spelling and grammar mistakes.
– The real name is copied, with some letters or words altered.
– You can see the location, security level and other details of the website by clicking on the three dots visible near the website name in Google search.
Report fake websites to Google
According to Google, you can report a website or its content by visiting Google. You can report any website that violates Google’s terms of service or policies. You can also send feedback directly to Google.
Where to complain
In case of financial fraud, file a complaint with your bank or the company whose fake customer care number defrauded you. According to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre of the Ministry of Home Affairs, cybercrime complaints can be filed on the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) website https://cybercrime.gov.in/. Complaints can also be filed by calling the national helpline number 1930.
Jaipur DCP South Rajarshi Raj, who has solved numerous cybercrime cases, said that people should understand that they should not click on any links from unknown numbers, as cybercriminals use these links to download APK files and hack into mobile phones. After this, all the mobile information, including OTPs, is then transferred to the criminals.
Conclusion: Do you often turn to the internet to find a company’s customer care number? If the answer is yes, beware. Cyber criminals are defrauding people by submitting their numbers to internet searches.
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