E-sim fraud: Crooks drain Rs 6.2 lakh from Bengaluru man

A 51-year-old Bengaluru man lost Rs 6.2 lakh after fraudsters posing as a telecom representative tricked him into upgrading his SIM to an e-sim through remote activation. The victim, Sagar, shared an OTP and followed instructions sent via WhatsApp on July 31. His mobile network stopped working for nearly a day, when restored, unauthorised transactions from multiple bank accounts and credit cards were discovered.

In a similar case, 40-year-old Shoaib from Chikkabanavara lost Rs 2.8 lakh after a WhatsApp caller said his SIM would be deactivated and a new e-sim issued. The fraudsters persuaded him to share a Google sign-in code and other credentials, after which his network stopped working. The fraud came to light on August 8 when Shoaib checked his bank account.

Police said no telecom company makes WhatsApp calls to promote e-sim conversion. Deputy commissioner of police (crime 2) Raja Imam Kasim P. said fraudsters initiate e-sim activation on their own device, deactivating the physical SIM, and then reset passwords or log in to banking apps. He urged the public to never share OTPs, sign-in codes, or click unverified links, and to report suspicious activity to the cyber helpline 1930.