THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If a message that illegal activity has been noticed and the phone number has been temporarily cancelled is received, don't panic. It is a new scam. The fraud is being carried out by demanding a large sum of money to get the phone number back and avoid a case. The fraudsters are calling pretending to be the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), CBI and police officials. Several people in the capital received phone calls recently claiming that their SIM cards have been cancelled.

The victims will be told that the phone number has been cancelled and that they will be asked to press 9 for more information. Then, the victims will be told that they have been digitally arrested and that they have to hand over their bank account details for verification to get the number back. Victims will lose their money if they are not careful. A Hyderabad native lost Rs 11 lakh and a Mumbai IIT student lost Rs 7 lakh in a similar scam. A vicar in Kochi lost Rs 5 lakh in a fraud where scammers said they were TRAI officials.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had stated in the assembly that a comprehensive cyber-secure 'Fin Eco-System' would be ensured to prevent cyber financial frauds. This is in collaboration with the central government and the Reserve Bank. More than thirty thousand bank accounts of the fraudsters have been blocked. The mobile phones used for the fraud have been deactivated. The accused have been arrested.

Account details will not be asked over the phone

• TRAI , police and CBI agencies will not ask for financial or personal details over the phone.
• Do not give out account numbers, passwords, ATM PIN numbers, etc. under any circumstances.
• It is advisable to ignore such calls without panicking, assuming that they are scams.
• If you fall into the trap of scammers, you should inform the police and the cybercrime department.

Helpline for reporting cyber fraud is 1930

You can file a complaint 24 hours a day at www.cybercrime.gov.in