Hyderabad: The police on Tuesday advised WhatsApp users not to respond to repeated calls from unknown international numbers and to be vigilant against falling prey to cybercrime, after users took to Twitter to post queries on the issue.
“Report and block them immediately, as it is a scam designed to lure people,” the police said.
Tollywood actor Rahul Ramakrishna, who has been a victim of such calls, posted on Twitter: “Anybody else getting missed calls on WhatsApp from unknown international/American telephone numbers?”
In response, the Cyberabad Police wrote, “Many Indian users are receiving international calls on their WhatsApp numbers. Please report and block them immediately, as it is a scam designed to lure people.”
Another user, B. Sunil Kumar, also complained of a similar issue. “There have been repeated calls from unknown international numbers on WhatsApp of late. Strangely, we get missed calls multiple times and then they call,” said Sunil.
Another user, M. Srikanth, said that when he answered one such call, which was from an Indonesian number, the person told him that he won a KBC lottery of '25 lakh and explained to him the steps to claim the prize.
Meanwhile, the police confirmed that such calls can be reported to the police or a complaint can be lodged with the cybercrime reporting portal www.cybercrime.gov.in or by dialling the toll-free number 1930.
