Avoid SMS scams: Report on fraud prevention portal Chakshu

McAfee conducted a Global Scam Message study this year, which revealed some shocking data. The study found that Indians receive approximately 12 fake messages or scams daily and spend nearly 1.8 hours per week trying to verify their legitimacy.

Here are some notable scam SMSes being circulated in India recently:

Dear customer your Bank account has been blocked, Please Update your PAN Card Now!

Congratulations you have won Rs 10,00! Click here to claim now!

Dear, you have passed our interview. Salary is 23,00/month. Please contact to discuss detail.

As scammers are using AI tools to make their texts and calls more convincing, it has become essential to report such incidents to prevent their spread. In response to the increasing online scams, the Indian government has introduced a new platform called Chakshu. Here is how you can use this portal to report scam SMS and calls!

All you need to know about the Chakshu portal

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched a new portal called "Chakshu". This new platform is for users to report fraudulent SMS and calls. For instance, suspicious text trying to mimic a bank, digital payments, SIM card provider, KYC update, electricity or gas connection, etc can be reported here.

Users can go to the official government website Sanchar Saathi and file a complaint against a fake SMS, call or even a WhatsApp text.

When filing a report, users have the option to attach an image or screenshot, but it is not required. Apart from that details such as the date and time of the fraud communication with a short description of the incident needs to be filled.

After doing so, TRAI investigates the suspected activity and phone number. If found to be a scam, the service of the number will be revoked and the appropriate legal action will be taken by the government.

The most common smishing scams in India

According to the latest Global Scam Message survey by McAfee, the following SMS scams are believed to be fake by Indians.

• "You've won a prize!"
• Fake missed delivery or delivery problem alerts
• Details about a purchase the recipient did not buy
• Sign-in and location verification texts

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The basic idea of these messages is to lure a person to either visit a malicious website or link to download malware. Since there's no official platform to verify if an SMS is coming from a legitimate source or number, it becomes tough to decide whether it is a spam text or a genuine one.

Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence has helped fraudsters craft grammatically correct messages that even contain personal information making them believable. This is why recognising and reporting such fraudulent texts can prevent it from spreading.

The bottom line

Each year, online scams are on the rise as scammers develop more sophisticated methods to deceive people. It's crucial to steer clear of clicking on unfamiliar links or sharing personal information with unverified sources. If you encounter any suspicious messages, you can use the Chakshu platform to report them easily, contributing to the prevention of such scams.