People Warned About Telecom Tower Fraud

Shreenivas S. Galgali, Advisor to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has cautioned people about the ‘telecom tower fraud’.

Speaking at TRAI’s Consumer Outreach Programme in Mysuru on Monday, Mr. Galgali said fraudsters approach property owners pointing out that their property has been chosen as a good location for the erection of a mobile tower for which they will receive handsome remuneration. But, after convincing them to pay an advance, the fraudsters escape with the money.

If fraudsters approach property owners claiming to be representatives from TRAI, Mr. Galgali sought to make it clear that TRAI has no role to play in installation of mobile towers. Moreover, if the fraudsters claim to represent a telecom company, the property owners would do well to check with the company, he stressed.

Some even manage to convince mobile subscribers to divulge sensitive information like an OTP (one-time password) for a fraudulent banking transactions by convincing their victim that their OTP had mistakenly been sent to the latter’s number, Mr. Galgali warned. – The Hindu