Stories

An unusual caller ID showing ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ has sparked curiosity online ahead of Gandhi Jayanti, highlighting the need for greater awareness of phone scams. (AI photo)
N
News18•02-10-2026, 08:24
Why Is 'Mahatma Gandhi' Calling You? Unmasking the Caller ID Mystery and Cyber Scams
  • •A bizarre caller ID showing ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ has appeared on smartphones, sparking curiosity ahead of Gandhi Jayanti 2026.
  • •Caller ID information, including that from services like Truecaller, can be inaccurate or outdated as it often relies on community contributions and user reports.
  • •Scammers exploit unusual or attention-grabbing caller IDs to pique curiosity, making recipients more likely to answer and engage in social-engineering scams.
  • •Once engaged, fraudsters use tactics like impersonating banks or government agencies to create urgency and trick victims into sharing sensitive information or transferring money.
  • •Always pause, independently verify unexpected calls through official channels, and never share OTPs, passwords, or banking details over unsolicited calls to protect against vishing and other cyber frauds.

Key Questions Answered

An unusual caller ID showing 'Mahatma Gandhi' has sparked curiosity online ahead of Gandhi Jayanti 2026, driven by community suggestions and user-reported names on identification platforms. Scammers exploit this curiosity as an entry point for social-engineering and vishing scams.

No, caller ID services cannot be trusted as independent proof of identity. These platforms incorporate community contributions and user reports, meaning displayed names can sometimes be inaccurate, outdated, or manipulated by bad actors.

If you receive a suspicious call, you should pause, end the call, and independently verify the communication through official websites or customer-care numbers. Never share sensitive information like OTPs, passwords, or banking credentials.