There have been rise in the mobile SIM cloning throughout the world. BSNL has warned about receiving calls from numbers starting from +92, #90 or #09. Next time if you receive a missed call from these numbers, don’t try to call back as your SIM may be cloned by SIM cloning rackets.
It is estimated that about one lakh people in India alone have fallen prey to this scam of SIM cloning. Scams such as SIM cloning is going on a fast pace in regions such as Uttar Pradesh. According to one of the telecom officers, “We are sure there must be some more similar combinations that the miscreants are using to clone the handsets, including SIM, and all the information stored in them”
Generally, to clone a SIM card, the physical SIM card is needed or access between caller and his mobile network’s operator is needed. There is little doubt however, that how calling back to a particular phone number could get your SIM cloned.
RV Verma, who is the General Manager of BSNL has said that warnings about the same are being issued to the broadband subscribers. He said that alert messages are also being sent out to the subscribers from other networks as well to protect the users.
SIM cloning can be done by a hardware tool simply by reading the SIM first and then copying all the data and information of that SIM to a new SIM. Thus, a copy of original SIM is produced. Cloning of SIM wirelessly is also theoretically possible but is extremely difficult to put into actual practice. But these days nothing is impossible and any task no matter how difficult could easily be done. Wirelessly, SIM can be cloned by breaking and getting access to telecom networks and using high end tools to copy data and information.
When you receive a call starting from +92 and you pick up the phone, the caller from the other side pretends to be a telecom operator company representative. The caller then asks the user to press #09 or #90 and call back to his number. Thus a connection is established between the racket people and the mobile user. After cloning the SIM, the whole balance or part of balance of the user gets stolen. Whenever the user tries to recharge his or her mobile again, the balance is again stolen from his or mobile.
So please do not answer or call back to any phone if you receive any calls starting from +92, #09 or #90.