New Call Merging Scam: How It Works And How To Stay Safe

Alankar Mishra

Author

Updated: 16-04-2025 at 12:44 PM

Cybercriminals are coming up with new ideas all the time, and the most recent one comes from India, where they are practising call merging fraud. Scammers strategically trick victims into merging calls, which ends up revealing their OTP (One-Time Passwords), which enables them to empty their bank accounts.

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), along with other financial institutions, has released an alarming message for users asking them to remain vigilant and not answer unknown numbers to avoid merging calls.

How Does the Call Merging Scam Work?

Step 1	A fraudster calls you, claiming they got your number from a friend or a trusted source.
Step 2	They tell you that your "friend" is trying to reach you from another number and request you to merge the calls.
Step 3	When you merge the call, you unknowingly connect to a genuine OTP verification call from your bank.
Step 4	The scammer tricks you into sharing the OTP, which is then used for unauthorised transactions.
Step 5	As soon as the OTP is provided, the fraudster completes a financial transaction, leading to monetary loss.

Example Scenario

There is an increase in the exploitation of call merging for OTP capture scams. This method has gained popularity over the years, with each new iteration making it tougher to stop fraud.

Your "friend" is on another call and tells you to merge the calls so they can explain the rest of the details to you.
At the same time, they initiate an OTP verification call to your bank account or digital wallet.
The only action needed is to merge the calls, and the OTP is sent to the scammer.
Now, the scammer has an OTP to use to make a withdrawal from your bank account.

How To Stay Safe From Call Merging Scams?

UPI and other cyber professionals have provided useful safety tips to help you protect yourself from the scam. Follow these helpful steps:

1. Do not Merge Calls from Offender Contacts

If you should receive a strange phone call from someone who offers to merge calls, it's best to refuse their offer.
Banks or financial institutions will never require clients to merge calls with any suspicious contacts.

2. Check Who Called You

If someone claims to be your friend, bank, or service provider, call them back on their official number.
Always verify requests before taking any steps toward action.

3. Calls should not have Any OTP Shares

Never give out OTPs over any phone calls.
In case of an unknown transaction, do not share or disclose the OTP with any third parties.

4. Report Suspicious Activity Immediately

If you instantly believe there is a case of fraud, your first step should be reporting the incident to the National Cybercrime Helpline – 1930.
Your last step would be to notify your respective bank or other financial companies.

5. Enable Bank Alerts & Two-Factor Authentication

After each financial transaction, SMS/email alerts should be set.
For any online banking, payments and other transactions – two-step verification is required.

India’s Growing Digital Scam Threat: The Numbers Speak

The using of technology has enabled digital scams to grow within India, and the country seems to be in a dire condition as most of its people are falling prey to schemes that try to defraud them, thus losing not only their money but sensitive information as well. The latest reports show the numbers which together mark the rising it’s a growing danger.

About one in every three Indians is a victim of online real-time payment fraud.
Last year, 60 % of the people reported receiving scam messages.
54% of Indians say they know someone personally who has been scammed.
The ₹8 lakh losses have more than doubled. They increased from 2% in 2023 to 4% in 2024.

All of these numbers show the lack of reporting on the matter of cyber security as well as the lack of awareness.

Conclusion

The call merging scam is upon unaware people and tricks them into divulging their OTP details. It is an updated and more advanced monetary fraud. You can protect your wealth from cybercriminals by taking safety measures, confirming unknown calls, and avoiding merging calls from unwarranted sources.

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