tags: #intro #stay-safe
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Last night I got a phone call from a friend. He had apparently got a call from someone claiming to be a DTDC employee (or maybe some other company, I don’t remember and it does not matter) saying that there was a package with his name on it as the sender, sent to Thailand, which was held up at customs because it contained drugs and fake passports and SIM cards and what not. His aadhaar card was used to send the package.
TIP #1 Unless you are expecting a package from whatever service the caller claims to be from, hang up immediately.
In this specific case, my friend was actually expecting a package. He was expecting a new debit card from his bank, but this is clearly not the same shape or size as the package the caller was claiming. Plus, remember my friend was expecting a package, this guy claimed that he had sent a package.
The caller may already have some of your details (at least name, maybe other info) to convince you this is a genuine call. A lot of this is easy to acquire from various sources, and so does not prove they are genuine. They will also have other tricks to make the whole thing appear as “real” as possible. Finally, they will ask you various questions to extract information that they lack, and can use later.
This, combined with the pressure tactics, make us reveal more information to them. Do not give in!
TIP #2 Though my friend was not actually asked for his other number or other details, you might be asked for some details, DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY DETAILS.
They do this day in and day out, and they know all the tricks, so the more time you spend on the call, the more the chances they get something out of you.
TIP #3 Don’t even engage or prolong the conversation
They may make a big deal of the “fact” that your aadhaar card was used to book the parcel, or your address, or something else. Ignore all that.
Side note: No one who is really trying to smuggle something out or in will use his/her own identification documents! So this is a good indication that the “crime” being reported is totally fake.
The caller said he would transfer the call to Mumbai Police Department or crime branch or something like that and my friend duly allowed the transfer to happen. The other guy then told him various things over the course of half an hour ending with telling him to get into a whatsapp call or a signal call with him.
TIP #4 Anyone who asks you to install some software or change the mode of communication to something else, is an immediate red flag.
Among other things he was threatened with arrest and all sorts of other complications if he did not co-operate.
TIP #5 The police will not call you and give you advance warning if you really were a criminal, allowing you the chance to escape, go into hiding, run off to some other country, or whatever. They would come to your address without warning!
He also asked: “Who else is in the house with you?” My friend responded: “Just my family”, to which the caller told him to lock himself in a room and not to leave that room and not contact anybody else until the matter is resolved.
TIP #6 The warning to not contact anybody is another huge red flag. Even in the most serious cases, even people suspected of serious crimes are allowed a lawyer (as far as I know).
Even if none of the previous tips applied to you, if you get to this stage, this is the point where you hang up and block the caller.
TIP #7 Reporting the crime is also a good idea, but it is my impression (from generally reading about these things) that all the various agencies that are responsible for this are understaffed and overloaded. So if you did not actually lose money, they may not really do something about it. Still, it’s worth it to report the phone numbers that you’ve received the calls from in the hope that they will be added to some black list or warning list of some kind by somebody.