Cyber Crime: Don’t share phone numbers at malls

A police official told the media, “It is very important for people to be cautious and choosy about whom they are sharing their phone numbers within any public place. People may approach you for details so you can participate in a lucky draw or with offers of a zero-interest credit card, but one should remember that sharing personal information in a public forum only makes us more vulnerable to cyber frauds”.

Numerous stores and malls in the city need consumers’ phone numbers for billing and other purposes. According to the official, most people believe that providing phone numbers is required, while it is not. They warned that individuals who share their phone numbers with pals on social media are also frequently the targets of online scams.

The Kolkata police came up with stricter warnings after the city recorded multiple cases of honey trapping and sextortion in the past few months.

Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool Congress member from Kolkata, recently spoke out against the practice of requesting phone numbers at retail establishments. She criticized Decathlon, a retailer of athletic equipment, for gathering phone numbers in a tweet. “I always purchase items from Decathlon in the UK, and they merely need an email address if a paperless receipt is desired. They NEVER request mobile numbers. It is obvious that just the Indian arm is trying to deceive the customers here. Decathlon India (sis),” she tweeted.

Cybersecurity experts have been demanding stricter laws to ensure that commercial establishments don’t insist on phone numbers or other personal information to complete a transaction.

According to Section 2 of the Consumer Protection Act, collecting data is not part of the sale transaction, legal experts note. However, the collection of phone numbers is not illegal under the IT Act.