Call Forwarding Scam: Meaning, How It Works & Ways to Protect Yourself

A call forwarding scam is a type of phone-based fraud where scammers take unauthorized control of your phone’s call forwarding settings. By doing this, they redirect all your incoming calls to a phone number they own. As a result, it allows them to receive information that was originally meant for you, such as verification calls or Voice OTPs.

These scams often involve the misuse of legitimate call forwarding activation codes, like *401# (Asian telecom networks like Jio, Airtel), **21* or just *21* (For US carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile) and *72 (For Verizon).

The call forwarding scam starts by manipulating you into dialing specific codes, which redirect all incoming calls to the scammer’s number. Then, they intercept crucial information for malicious purposes.

1. Targeting the Victim: Scammers begin by reaching out through fake calls, texts, or phishing messages. They usually use caller ID spoofing and pretend to be your mobile carrier or a customer service team member, asking you to “verify” your number or “fix a network issue.”
2. Tricking You Into Enabling Call Forwarding: During the conversation, they guide you to dial a specific Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code, claiming it’s for troubleshooting. For instance, *401*(Number owned by scammer)#. As a result, that code activates unconditional call forwarding and links your number to theirs.
3. Redirecting Your Calls: Once activated, every call meant for you quietly gets redirected to the scammer’s number. You may still see missed calls or notifications, but the actual calls never reach you.
4. Intercepting Sensitive Information: With control over your incoming calls, scammers can intercept verification codes, bank OTPs, or authentication calls used to access online accounts and financial platforms.

To prevent phone call redirection scams, avoid dialing unknown codes, check your call forwarding settings often, apply call screening features, ignore unknown callers, and contact your carrier right away if you notice suspicious call redirections.

• Avoid Dialing Unknown Codes: Never dial USSD or call forwarding codes shared over calls, texts, or social media, even if the sender claims to be your carrier or a customer service representative.
• Check Call Forwarding Settings Regularly: Use codes like *#21# or *#62# to verify if your calls are being redirected without permission. However, you might need to dial a specific code, as per your carrier, since different carriers use different codes.
• Use Call Screening Features: Activate call screening options available on your phone or through your carrier. These features often help you identify and avoid calls from numbers flagged as scam-likely.
• Avoid Accepting Calls from Unknown Callers: Let unfamiliar numbers go to voicemail instead of answering directly. So, if it's a genuine call, the caller might leave a voicemail, unlike the scammers. You can also use your phone’s built-in features to silence unknown callers.
• Contact Your Carrier Immediately: If you suspect forwarding is active without your consent, contact your network provider to disable it and restore your original settings.

You might be a victim of a mobile call diversion scam if you stop getting important or verification calls, notice unusual system alerts about call forwarding, or find an unfamiliar number active in your forwarding settings.

• You’re Missing Important Calls: You may notice that friends, family, or colleagues tell you they tried calling, but your phone didn’t ring. Likewise, you might also see missed calls that don’t match your call log.
• Unusual Call Forwarding Notifications: You might receive system notifications like “Call Forwarding Activated”, even though you haven’t enabled the feature yourself. These messages often include details like the forwarding number or activation time.
• Call Forwarding Active for Unknown Number: When you check your call forwarding settings on your phone or by dialing codes like *#21# or *#62#, you might find a phone number listed that you don’t recognize. This is often the number to which your incoming calls are being redirected.
• Missing Verification Calls or OTPs: You might stop receiving calls like Voice OTPs or verification calls. This usually becomes noticeable when login attempts or security checks fail because you never receive the code on your phone.

If you suspect that you’ve already fallen for the scam, immediately turn off call forwarding, then contact your carrier to verify and secure your account. Moreover, review your linked accounts for any suspicious activity, and report the incident to your local cybercrime authority.

• Check and Disable Call Forwarding Settings: Deactivate call forwarding either by dialing the call forwarding deactivation code or by going through your phone’s call settings. This step instantly stops scammers from intercepting your calls.
• Contact Your Mobile Carrier: Get in touch with your network provider and explain the situation. Ask them to check for unauthorized call forwarding, reset your settings, and add security locks to your account to prevent further tampering.
• Check Linked Accounts for Unusual Activity: Review your bank, email, and social media accounts for suspicious logins, verification messages, or password reset attempts. If you notice anything strange, change your passwords immediately and enable two-factor authentication.
• Report the Scam: File a report with your local cybercrime authority or telecom regulator. In the US, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), while users in India can reach out to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. This helps authorities track similar fraud cases and prevent future incidents.

Call forwarding scams can expose your personal data, compromise your financial accounts, and disrupt important communications. Since these scams operate quietly, many victims don’t realize their calls are being redirected until it’s too late.

To protect yourself, avoid dialing unknown codes, check your call forwarding status regularly and stay alert for unusual carrier notifications or missed verification calls. If you suspect foul play, disable call forwarding immediately, contact your service provider, and update your account credentials.

Similarly, switching to Calilio, a reliable VoIP provider, is a smarter solution to preventing call forwarding scams. With Calilio, you get to manage your call forwarding settings through your individual account, which can be secured by passwords and 2FA methods. Moreover, you get features like call filtering and screening to avoid spam-like calls. So, sign up on Calilio today and experience secure communication!