Fact Check: Offers promising you big monthly income by installing a mobile tower may sound tempting, but they’re a new trap for cybercriminals. If someone is asking you for money upfront or showing you a fake NOC for installing a mobile tower, be alert immediately.
Mobile Tower NOC
If you have received a phone call, WhatsApp message, email or letter in the name of a mobile company promising a hefty monthly rent for installing a mobile tower on your house or land, then you need to be extremely cautious. These days, the Fake Mobile Tower NOC Scam is spreading rapidly.
Cyber fraudsters, posing as officials of big telecom companies or government departments, deceive people into installing mobile towers. After this, they dupe people of thousands to lakhs of rupees in the name of registration fees, processing charges, security deposit, NOC fees or taxes.
The biggest problem is that the fraudsters present fake No Objection Certificates (NOCs), fake government letters, and even fake identity cards, easily deceiving many people. However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has clarified that it does not charge any fees for installing mobile towers, nor does it issue such NOCs.
This is how Mobile Tower NOC Scam happens
Scammers claim that your rooftop or land has been selected for a mobile tower installation and that you will receive monthly rent ranging from 20,000 to 1 lakh rupees. They then use fake agreements, fake NOCs, government letters, or documents purporting to be from telecom companies to gain trust. They then demand money in the name of processing fees, registration charges, GST, security deposits, or stamp duty.
Once the victim sends the money, the scammers disconnect contact.
Fake NOC leads to fraud
The most important weapon in this scam is a fake NOC. Fraudsters create documents that appear to be issued by a government department or telecom company. Often, they even feature government logos, seals, and fake official signatures. Seeing this, people assume it’s genuine and transfer money. Later, they discover the entire document was fraudulent.