Technology is definitely a boon for us. But, we can’t deny the fact that it has brought some major concerns with it. One such major concern is online scams, and the latest addition to it is SIM swap. We have already seen some instances of SIM Swap that have been registered by the cyber cells across the country. A common man is an easy prey for such scammers, be it digitally illiterate or tech savvy. Here are 8 simple steps for avoiding this online banking scam. Online Frauds & ATM Debit Card Scams: Follow These Simple Steps To Protect Yourself.

Never Share Any of Your information on Phone: Firstly, it is very important to understand that you shouldn't be sharing any of your details to any unknown person over the phone. You can be duped just by sharing your vital information on the phone. Sharing information about your SIM will let the fraudster to register a new SIM with your phone. They might also ask for your Aadhaar number to verify your identity. It is advised that never share Aadhaar number over phone. What is Safer Internet Day? Know History and Significance.

Unknown person calling you & claiming to be from telecom provider: It all starts with a call from an unknown person who claims to be an employee of the service provider. He / She will claim to be an executive from Jio, Idea, Vodafone, Airtel or any other telecom operator. The fraudster will tell you that this a routine call for improving your call drop problem or signal problem on your phone.

Don’t give your 20-digit SIM number: During the entire conversation, the fraudster will look to get your unique 20-digit SIM number that is printed on the back of the SIM. The unknown caller will ask to share your 20-digit SIM card number for improving the call drop issue or any other related issues.

You will be requested to press 1 or authenticate this Swap: Post convincing you to send 20-digit SIM number, the fraudster will tell you to press 1 or simply authenticate the SIM swap. After receiving SIM number, the scamster will officially initiate the swap with your telecom operator.

Your mobile will stop receiving signal: Once the swap is carried out successfully, your SIM card will stop receiving any signals on the phone. Now, the scamster's new SIM card will receive the signals with your mobile number registered on it.

You can lose money if your SIM is hijacked: This is entirely a two-step process wherein the SIM Swap is the second part. In most of the cases, the fraudster does has information regarding banking ID and password. All they need is an OTP, which becomes easy after SIM swap. After getting all the details, they easily carry out financial transactions. Safer Internet Day 2019: How To Ensure Safety For Your Online Transactions?

Senior citizens are prime targets: As senior citizens are less digitally active, they have become an easy target for the scamsters. It is very essential to advise them on regular basis and make them aware of such online scams or banking frauds.

Keeping a regular check at Bank Balance: It is advised that you should keep a regular tab on your bank balance. Moreover, you should also change online banking password at regular intervals, which makes difficult for the scamster to crack. If you notice any suspicious activity on your bank account, it is advised that you should immediately contact your bank and ask them to stop the transaction.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 16, 2018 08:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).