Removal of the leading 1: the simple trick behind fraudulent banking numbers

Bank helplines in India commonly start with the digit “1”. The Patna scammers exploited this convention by chopping off the leading 1 and presenting the remaining ten digits as a legitimate number. Because the change is minimal, most callers did not notice the discrepancy.

The gang used the altered numbers in mass SMS campaigns and online posts, directing users to a fake Google Business listing where the counterfeit number was highlighted. Once the victim called, the fraudster pretended to be a bank representative, requested OTPs, and proceeded to drain the account.

The police identified four gang members and seized multiple devices. Further analysis of call‑data records showed the numbers originated from different telecom circles, raising questions about how the criminals obtained such closely matching numbers. Investigators are now probing telecom operators and local stores for any irregularities in SIM allocation.