Fraud Warning

Mobile tower fraud is one of the most common scams in India, and it works because the promise — a tower on your roof, paying rent every month, forever — is exactly what people want to hear.

The warning signs

• Any demand for money. Registration fee, processing fee, security deposit, GST, "file charges", NOC charges. All of it is fraud. Genuine installation costs are borne by the infrastructure company.
• A guaranteed monthly rent quoted upfront. Nobody can quote rent before a survey. A specific figure promised on a phone call is a sales hook, not an offer.
• Fake letters and allotment orders on the letterhead of a well-known telecom brand, often with a forged signature and stamp.
• Pressure and urgency. "Only two slots left in your district." Networks are not planned that way.
• A request for an OTP, or for original documents to be handed over.

What to do

Do not pay. Do not share OTPs. Verify any claim of authorisation directly with the company on its official website. If you have already paid, report it to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930, and file a complaint at your local police station.