Chennai: The cybercrime wing of state police has issued an advisory warning residents about a new scam involving fraudsters posing as courier agents to hijack bank accounts and social media profiles.
Officials say fraudsters contact victims pretending to confirm or reschedule parcel deliveries, then trick them into dialling a USSD code sent via SMS—typically starting with 21 followed by the scammer’s number. The police have advised people not to dial USSD codes starting with 21, 61, 67, or similar codes shared by unknown callers and skipping suspicious delivery links on SMS, WhatsApp, or email. In cases where call forwarding has been unknowingly activated, the CCW advised users to dial ##002# immediately to cancel all call forwarding services. People who suspect they were scammed or notice suspicious activity should call the National Cyber Crime Helpline ‘1930′ or file a complaint through the official portal at ‘www.cybercrime.gov.in’ without delay, the police said. Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India’s Biggest Habit Index!
Additional director general of police (Cybercrime) Sandeep Mittal said the scam exploits a lack of awareness about USSD-based call forwarding features. Public must verify delivery details only through official courier company websites or authorized customer care numbers, police said. Dialling the code silently activates call forwarding, diverting bank OTPs, verification calls, and app authentications straight to the scammer. They then execute unauthorized transactions or account takeovers without the victim’s knowledge. Take the survey here
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