5G Scam alert: Vi users beware of the ‘Upgrade to 5G’ message on your phone
5G arrived in India in October this year. Shortly after, telecom companies started rolling out their 5G services in India one city at a time. Ever since 5G roll out began in India, fraudsters have been trying to dupe innocent users into giving up their personal data in lieu of getting them access the high-speed 5G connectivity. Now, in a latest such incident, scamsters have been sending messages to Vodafone Idea (Vi) subscribers to help them upgrade to the 5G network.
According to a report by The Times of India, Vodafone Idea subscribers in India have been getting messages from scammers masquerading as telecom companies on WhatsApp and in their phone’s Messages app. These messages ask the unsuspecting users to click on a link in a bid to connect with the 5G network. The report also says that the link in many SMSes is linked to a Paytm account, which indicates that the fraudsters not only aim to steal users’ personal data but also their financial information in a bid to steal money steal money in the guise of a 5G upgrade.
“Hi! Vi network is being upgraded to 5G! Your network experience will now be superior. Please Start Data Usage to Upgrade your Experience,” the message reads.
It is worth noting that neither Vodafone Idea nor Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has not started rolling outs its 5G services in India yet. At the moment, Reliance Industries’ Jio and Bharti Enterprises’ Airtel are the only two telecom companies that have started rolling out their 5G services in various parts of the country. While Airtel is expected to complete its pan-India 5G roll out by March 2024. Jio, on the other hand, has said that it will complete its 5G roll out in India by the end of 2023.
As per reports, BSNL is expected to start rolling out 5G services in India sometime in 2023. Vodafone Idea, on the other hand, has said that it will soon begin rolling out its 5G services in India, without sharing a tentative time.
At the moment, Jio’s True 5G network is available in: Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Pune, Nathdwara, Kochi, All the 33 district headquarters of Gujarat, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Chennai, Mysuru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Kharar, Derabassi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Tirumala, Vijayawada, Guntur, Lucknow and Trivandrum.
Similarly, Airtel’s 5G Plus network is available in Pune, Jammu, srinagar, Vizag, Lucknow, Shimla, Hyderabad, Pune, Patna, Nagpur, Gandhinagar, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Varanasi, Panipat, Gurugram, Guwahati, and at several major airports including Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Mahindra’s Chakan manufacturing facility.
The post 5G Scam alert: Vi users beware of the ‘Upgrade to 5G’ message on your phone appeared first on BGR India.
5G arrived in India in October this year. Shortly after, telecom companies started rolling out their 5G services in India one city at a time. Ever since 5G roll out began in India, fraudsters have been trying to dupe innocent users into giving up their personal data in lieu of getting them access the high-speed 5G connectivity. Now, in a latest such incident, scamsters have been sending messages to Vodafone Idea (Vi) subscribers to help them upgrade to the 5G network.
According to a report by The Times of India, Vodafone Idea subscribers in India have been getting messages from scammers masquerading as telecom companies on WhatsApp and in their phone’s Messages app. These messages ask the unsuspecting users to click on a link in a bid to connect with the 5G network. The report also says that the link in many SMSes is linked to a Paytm account, which indicates that the fraudsters not only aim to steal users’ personal data but also their financial information in a bid to steal money steal money in the guise of a 5G upgrade.
“Hi! Vi network is being upgraded to 5G! Your network experience will now be superior. Please Start Data Usage to Upgrade your Experience,” the message reads.
It is worth noting that neither Vodafone Idea nor Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has not started rolling outs its 5G services in India yet. At the moment, Reliance Industries’ Jio and Bharti Enterprises’ Airtel are the only two telecom companies that have started rolling out their 5G services in various parts of the country. While Airtel is expected to complete its pan-India 5G roll out by March 2024. Jio, on the other hand, has said that it will complete its 5G roll out in India by the end of 2023.
As per reports, BSNL is expected to start rolling out 5G services in India sometime in 2023. Vodafone Idea, on the other hand, has said that it will soon begin rolling out its 5G services in India, without sharing a tentative time.
At the moment, Jio’s True 5G network is available in: Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Noida, Pune, Nathdwara, Kochi, All the 33 district headquarters of Gujarat, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Chennai, Mysuru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Kharar, Derabassi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Tirumala, Vijayawada, Guntur, Lucknow and Trivandrum.
Similarly, Airtel’s 5G Plus network is available in Pune, Jammu, srinagar, Vizag, Lucknow, Shimla, Hyderabad, Pune, Patna, Nagpur, Gandhinagar, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Varanasi, Panipat, Gurugram, Guwahati, and at several major airports including Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Mahindra’s Chakan manufacturing facility.
The post 5G Scam alert: Vi users beware of the ‘Upgrade to 5G’ message on your phone appeared first on BGR India.
