At the time, Sandeep Singh ignored the message, but he says it was a message that has messed his whole life up.
“I thought this was just another spam SMS," he told SBS Hindi.
"However, in the evening I realised that my phone had stopped working. I reported it to my service provider only to be told that I had given up the services of that provider for another company. I had not made any such requests. I asked the other company but received no information.”
'Thousands of dollars'
The next day when he checked his emails, he said the world changed for him. There were emails about transactions of thousands of dollars from his bank account that he had never made.
“Somebody had hacked into my bank account and transferred thousands of dollars. He had changed the passwords using my mobile number. I had the mobile, but he was using my number. I had the email, but he had changed the password and thrown me out my 14-year-old email,” says Singh, who complained to the police.
However, although he got his money back from the bank, the troubles had just started for him.
“Who so ever hacked into my email, had all my information and important documents as they were in the emails. So, I started getting messages such as I had bought a phone or I had ordered iPads. He redeemed all my points and shopped around. He tried to get credit cards in my name. He attempted to take a loan in my name too.
'My whole life is compromised'
"Moreover, this is what I know. I don’t know what else has already been done. My whole life is compromised as this person possibly has all my documents. I am at his mercy, and I keep waiting for his next attack,” says Singh complaining that number portability is effortless in Australia and that has caused me him all the trouble.
He has appealed to the federal government to take necessary actions.
He says, “The Minister of Communication replied saying they are aware of the issue and taking steps. My life has been turned upside down by this event. I hope people are more cautious.”
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