Many banks and financial institutions often send OTP (One-Time Password) codes to customers through a phone call. Fraudsters lure victims into joining a group call (via the call merge feature on the phone) to steal the OTP code and make illegal transactions with their accounts and money.

The trick of the bad guys is to call the victim, introducing themselves as having a mutual friend with the victim. This person's identity was originally collected through the friend list on their social media accounts. They use the excuse of discussing work, asking the victim to allow the other friend to join the group call through the merge call feature. In fact, the phone number of the "other friend" is a call from the bank to provide the OTP code for the transaction that the subject is making using the victim's account that was previously stolen. In this way, the hacker legally obtains the OTP code.

Experts and authorities recommend that people be vigilant when receiving calls from strangers. Carefully verify the identity of the caller through friends and relatives. Absolutely do not follow instructions, do not provide important information or transfer money to people you do not know clearly.

Bkav