admin 
Here are some of the surprising incidences that indicate how the viral of internet and banking scams is spreading drastically.
A person hailing from Haryana received a message that resembles to the Income Tax Department. The message contained a link and by mistake the link opened along with the installation of an application. During night time, the person acquired an OTP (One Time Password) on his mobile from the bank and automatically it got forwarded to some unknown number. Within a fraction of second, Rs 60,000 got debited from that innocent person’s bank account.
A women from Mumbai ordered a ring through a renowned online website. Later, due to some unavoidable reasons, she cancelled the order. After some days, her money was still not being refunded by that website. On the internet, women searched for the shopping website number and finally she could locate the number on Google Search. She desperately called on that number and the person on the other side gathered all the confidential details of the woman’s ATM card in the name of refund. To her surprise, that fraud person with the help of ATM details and an OTP captured all the money in her bank account.
In order to obtain a refund in case of online shopping, a person called a customer care number through ‘Google Search’. An anonymous person who received the phone sent a scripted link on the mobile of that concerned person. The fraudster told to send that link to another unknown number via a registered mobile number at the bank. As informed by that person, the concerned man listened to him and sent the link to the instructed number. Through UPI, Rs 30,000 got removed from that person’s bank account.
A shopkeeper also got trapped in an online fraud. A customer who came to buy something asked for the UPI Id through UPI app for making the payment. Due to insufficient knowledge of UPI transaction, the shopkeeper accepted the ‘pay’ or ‘payment request’ of the message which had actually came for the payment. Instead of receiving the money from the customer, it got deducted from the shopkeeper’s account.
Aren’t all these situations shocking? Most of the people fall prey to these scams and don’t check the facts associated with internet banking. Here are some of the solutions and suggestions that could reduce the intensity of internet deceptions.
Don’t click on any link that looks similar to the Government institutions or departments. Check it twice whether the message or link is genuine and authentic. Spelling of the content plays a crucial role in finding out the truth and hence check the spelling errors.
Disable the option of installation of ‘Third Party App’ so that any application would not be installed from an untrusted source. By any means if such app gets installed, then don’t share the code generated on that particular app with anyone.
The customer care of Online Shopping Websites contain mobile numbers that are similar to the telephone numbers (1800, 22, 11) and that too work on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. So don’t call on any mobile number.
Go for online shopping only when the websites are trustworthy and if you don’t have adequate knowledge regarding the technical aspects of the selected websites, better use the nearby shops and markets.
Many fake websites are drastically making their way in the e-commerce industry. They possess a great threat and cause an enormous money loss. Hence don’t provide your banking credentials to any dummy and hoax websites.
You should neither discuss and share any Banking details with strangers nor share the OTP.
Don’t dispatch any type of link that is forwarded by unknown people.
Don’t use Google Search for browsing customer care number. Instead go for the website or the app of that particular shopping portal from which you have been buying. Your issue can be addressed using the ‘Help’ option.
Be careful while debiting the money from your ATM card. If you spot any skimmer, then inform the police and bank authorities and once the transaction from the ATM is done, change the pin from some other ATM.
These were some of the measures by which we can have a secured and safe transactions and not fall prey to the online frauds. We, as responsible citizens need to be aware of these methods and make others aware too. Cyber security is need of the hour and hence it’s better to remain alert.
ITEE Cyber welfare society aware people about cyber crime and law.
Editing / Nirmeeti Patole / Mumbai.
