A Practical Guide to Protect Yourself from Modern Phone Scams
Cybercriminals today don’t need to hack your phone. They trick you into using your own phone against yourself. Here’s how to stay safe:
The Golden Rule of Screen Sharing
Never share your screen with a stranger.
Banks, taxi services, and delivery apps will NEVER ask you to share your screen to fix a payment.
Treat your screen like your wallet. If a payment fails, close everything and check later through the official app.
Never install apps like AnyDesk or TeamViewer at someone else’s request.
The “One Call” Rule
Never merge calls with strangers.
If someone says, “Amit is calling, merge us,” hang up and call Amit directly on his saved number.
Remember: OTPs now come via voice calls. If you merge calls, you may unknowingly let a scammer hear your OTP.
Never Dial Strange Codes
If someone asks you to dial codes like 21, 62, **21#, don’t do it.
These activate call forwarding — sending your OTP calls to scammers.
You can check call forwarding in your phone settings.
In most Indian networks, dial ##002# to disable all forwarding (if unsure, contact your operator).
Secure Your Voicemail
Set a strong PIN.
If scammers access your voicemail, they can hear OTPs left there.
Smart Habits Save Money
• Pause before reacting to urgency.
• Register for SIM lock / SIM swap protection.
• Trust, but verify.
• Use authenticator apps instead of SMS OTPs whenever possible.
Bottom Line
Your strongest security tool is awareness.
Be skeptical. Verify independently.
Learn your phone’s basic features — because scammers already have.