A BANK SMS ABOUT A CHEQUE FOR WITHDRAWAL? VERIFY FIRST!
Beware.. Latest Cyber Crime Trend in Banking Sector. Fishing SMSes, that look REAL, are being sent by SCAMSTERS to Bank account holders.
A Bank SMS, that looks real with your account no., informing about a cheque in your account for withdrawal may be from scamsters. You must verify its authenticity, first. If anything looks suspicious, ask for stopping the payment and head for legal remedies. Read about the latest cyber crime trend in banking.
_By Team CYBER EDIFY For http://indiainput.com
Here’s a recent real life story, from one of the metro cities in India.
A senior businessman, who runs a fairly successful content provider firm, received an SMS on his official phone number. It appeared to be from the Bank. The message informed him about a cheque that had appeared for clearance in his current account. It also mentioned at the bottom, a phone number that looked like a TOLL FREE number, to call in case he wanted to. But, everything seemed not right.
He hadn’t given a cheque to anyone since about two and half years, as he was relying more on the online mode of payments via UPI or NEFT.
The account number (last four digits were mentioned in the SMS) seemed correct.
The cheque number was non existent in his cheque book.
The name appeared fishy, as he didn’t know anyone with that name. He hadn’t done any dealing with someone with that name. He hadn’t given a cheque to him nor anyone else, since long, as far as he could remember..
The toll free number was incomplete.
When he approached the Bank’s branch, to his utter shock, he was told that three other account holders had reported to have received similar message, earlier in the day.
He asked the bank official, if the banks’ data base was compromised. The answer came in a firm No.
The Businessman queried again, “I am seeking clarification regarding a recent security incident. Despite the account number and the associated mobile number being correct—and the fact that the SMS verification was received on the authorized device—an unauthorized transaction still occurred. How is it possible for an external party to bypass these security protocols and access private information, even when all authentication criteria appear to have been met?”
The Bank official claimed that, the Bank’s Cyber wall was stronger like any other top Bank’s. He insisted, it could not be compromised or hacked.
The most important question to the Bank official was, Since they had received information about more such cases, were they going to file a complaint with the Police or specifically, the Cyber Police.
The reply was a disappointing “No”. The last question was, “Why not?” The Bank official pointed to the crowd in the branch and replied in the usual, familiar tone, “There is no time.”
The only way to defend yourself is to be aware, alert, vigilant and to keep checking the details.
- The Current account holder did two good things that day. One he met the head of the Cyber Police and informed them about the whole episode.
- The second most important thing the man did was, he never tried calling the so called Toll Free number, as mentioned in the SMS.
Advisory: Stay Vigilant Against Digital Fraud
In an era of increasing digital sophistication, cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit trust.
Even when account details and linked mobile numbers appear secure, unauthorized parties may attempt to bypass security layers through sophisticated phishing, SIM swapping, or credential harvesting.
Please remember. To be aware, alert and vigilant is our only defense against the Cyber scamsters.
We urge all our readers to maintain a high level of vigilance:
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Verify Before You Act: Never share OTPs, PINs, or sensitive account information, even if a message or call appears to originate from a trusted source.
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Exercise Heightened Caution: If you receive an unexpected SMS or alert, do not click on embedded links. Instead, log in directly through the official website or verified mobile app.
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Remain Watchful: Regularly monitor your account statements for any discrepancies and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.
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Stay Proactive: If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact your financial institution’s fraud department immediately to freeze your assets and secure your credentials.
(IN ASSOCIATION WITH CYBEREDIFY, YOUR ARMOUR AGAINST CYBER CRIMES)
SOURCE :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-t-cyberedify?
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