Kotak AMC's Nilesh Shah Flags Fake Courier Scam; Here's How The USSD Call Forwarding Fraud Works

Receiving a call about a courier delivery may seem normal but such calls may not always be genuine. Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company, recently shared how he received suspicious missed calls, a courier-related message and a follow-up call asking him to dial a USSD code.

Sharing his experience on X, Shah wrote, “I got two missed calls and a SMS to call courier with a 15 digit no *21*8969849428#.” He added that he later received another call asking him to dial the number.

How The USSD Scam Works

A USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) code is a short code used by telecom operators to access network services such as call forwarding, balance checks and service activation. While these codes have legitimate uses, fraudsters may misuse them by tricking users into dialling specific combinations that can change your phone settings.

Instead of dialling the code, Shah searched online to understand what it did. According to the information he found, dialling the code could activate unconditional call forwarding, allowing fraudsters to redirect incoming calls and potentially misuse voice OTPs or gain access to messaging accounts.

Shah also shared a precaution for those who may have already dialled the code. “If you or someone else accidentally dialed this code, open your phone’s dialer right away and dial ##002# to completely deactivate all call forwarding services.” He further noted that users can check whether call forwarding is active by dialling *#21#.

How To Stay Safe From USSD Call Forwarding Scams

He also warned users, saying, “Always be careful. Never dial such numbers.” Recently, the Cyber Crime Wing of Tamil Nadu Police also cautioned users on its official social media account about USSD call forwarding scams. The advisory said fraudsters often pose as courier or delivery agents and ask people to dial unknown codes such as 21, 61 or 67, which can be used to activate call forwarding.

Users have been advised not to dial unknown codes and to verify delivery requests only through the official websites or customer care channels of courier companies. If you suspect a cyber fraud, report it immediately by calling the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in.