Thursday, October 15

Surge in Online Fraud cases - Don't get lured or fall prey to the Scamsters - Nothing comes for Free

Protect yourself Against Online Frauds - Here are some tips to protect your money from Online Scams



Many people have either lost their jobs or are struggling in their businesses during this covid-19 pandemic. Online transactions have increased manifolds and so did the online frauds. The people are now looking for work from options to make their ends meet. Many companies have the option of WFH and there are companies which have started hiring again but till the time the pandemic is there, they are asking the employees to work from home.

 

However there is one more section which is taking the advantage of this crisis. They are the scamsters and online cheaters who are luring people with jobs, free schemes, discounts etc and looting their hard earned money.

Here are few headlines from the last week and you can imagine how this network of fraudsters has spread across India.

The Fraudsters are targeting those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic

or the people who fall prey to their schemes 
















State Bank of India (SBI) has alerted its customers to be careful from online banking scams. SBI has shared an information titled, 'A letter for your safety' with its customers and asked them to follow six necessary protocols to safeguard their account.


"The key to safe banking is vigilance. SBI has laid out six important protocols that our customers must follow in order to safeguard their personal information from fraudsters. Be Safe. Bank Safe," SBI tweeted from its official twitter handle.



SBI customers must follow these six crucial Protocols 

 

1. SBI advised its customers to avoid clicking on any link that asks for OTP or bank details in regards to EMIs or DBT or Prime Minister Care fund or any other Care fund. Earlier this month, SBI has warned users about PM Cares Fund scam and EMI scam.

2. SBI has been receiving complaints about recruitment scams where fraudsters lure youth and unemployed with job offers in SBI. The Bank has warned the people to be careful of bogus schemes that claim to offer cash prizes or job opportunities through SMSes, e-mails, phone calls, or advertisements.

3. The customers must change all bank-related passwords from time-to-time.

4. The Bank has again cautioned the consumers against the scamsters. It reiterated that SBI or its representatives never send e-mail/SMS or call their customers for personal information, password or OTP.

5. The consumers must always use only SBI's official website for contact numbers and other details. They should not rely on any bank information available on internet search results.

It means when you type SBI customer care number on Google, you will see a lot of websites and links showing SBI contact details. Never rely on that information and instead you should go to the official website of SBI from where you can get the authentic and correct contact details

6. Report immediately to local police authorities about fraudsters and inform the same to your nearest SBI Branch.

https://twitter.com/TheOfficialSBI/status/1253300326624526342?s=20

Be Safe, Bank Safe

"Don't fall prey to the recruitment messages and never click any link that you receive in your e-mail or phone."- This advisory has come from the Bank in the wake of recent scams related to EMI deferment, SBI recruitment and PM-CARES fund

The Cybersecurity watchdog CERT-In received several reports about fake UPI IDs, which were similar to the UPI ID used by the PM-CARES Fund

CERT-In said that pmcares@pnb, pmcares@hdfcbank, pmcare@yesbank, pmcare@ybl, pmcare@upi, pmcare@sbi and pmcare@icici are fake ids.

SBI has been warning its customers about the cybercrimes and the methods these fraudsters follow to cheat the customers. The best way to safeguard your account is to follow the above guidelines.

Furthermore, Keep in mind that you should never share your OTP with anyone, even if someone claims to be from the Bank. SBI never calls its customers for any personal information about their accounts.

A little caution can save you from bank-related frauds. Therefore do not divulge your account-related information to anyone over the phone/e-mail/SMS

 



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