What Is The Call Merge Scam?

This supposed bank representative then requested to merge the call, saying it was a bank procedure. Believing these words, the businessman agreed. The merged call was an automatic call from the bank itself, reading out an OTP. After thanking the businessman and telling him that the issue was resolved, the caller hung up.

In less than an hour, the businessman saw his account drained of all money. Panic set in as he realized he was a victim of the call merge scam.

The fraudster calls another person claiming to be from their bank. They will often take additional steps such as creating a convincing ID on call-screening platforms. This helps make their call appear official.

The victim is told that there is an urgent issue with their account which the bank needs to fix. They are asked to stay on the line and to avoid disconnecting. The fraudster then says that the procedure is ongoing and asks them to merge the call to complete the process.

Once the call is merged, an automated call from the bank enters the conversation. Over this call, an OTP is read out. The person who initiated the call either hears the OTP or asks for it, which grants them access to the victim’s bank account. They can easily take out as much money as they want, even emptying the account, which happens very often.

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• Fake sense of urgency. Over call, the scammers will make it seem like a certain procedure needs to be done immediately and not doing so will be detrimental. They will urge you to avoid disconnecting. This is said to lower a person’s guard and keep them on the call.

• Push you to share details. On such calls, the fraudster will often ask for certain details such as account number. This makes the fraud seem more legitimate. In many cases, they will push you to share the OTP you receive in case they are not able to hear it over the call.

• Request To merge calls. The person conducting this fraud will always ask to merge the call. This is the main mechanism of the scam, which enables them to intercept the OTP given through the merged automated call. With the OTP, they have access to the victim’s bank account and can easily take their money.

• Sudden automated call. There is never a good reason for a merged call to be an automated one. Legitimate automated calls will always come directly to a person.

• Never merge unknown calls. If an unknown person calls you and asks to merge the call, immediately hang up. They are almost always trying to scam you. Only merge calls with people you know and trust.

• Disconnect and call your bank’s helpline. Such fraud calls can sound convincing. It is easy to think that actual bank officials are on the line. However, real bank officials will never make such calls. If you have doubts, then cut the call and call your bank’s helpline to check if they need to contact you.

• Never share OTP or PIN over call. As a general practice, avoid sharing any OTP or PIN over calls. Even bank staff will never ask you for your OTP or PIN at any point.

• Report suspicious calls. Any call which you receive which seems suspicious should be immediately reported. In India, this can be done by either dialling 1930 or filing an online complaint through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.

The call merge scam can seem convincing and happen so quickly, the victim only realizes far too late. However, with the right knowledge, this scam can be avoided. Never trust unknown numbers and if anybody you do not trust asks to merge a call, hang up without hesitation.