When 26-year-old Hardik got an email saying an unauthorised money transfer had been requested from his bank account, he knew better than to take it at face value. The mail also had a contact number in it for “further assistance”. A student of cyber security, Hardik said that it is better in such situations to call your bank first than anything else. As it turned out, the mail he received was a hoax and could have resulted in a severe scam.
For defrauding people, scammers are coming up with innovative ways. The most recent in the list is the customer service scam as many people rely on online transactions for day-to-day chores. According to cybercrime police, the practice of using one-time passwords to extort money has now decreased. Scammers are using screen-sharing applications to get hold of bank account information of a customer.
What is screen sharing fraud?
One may receive an email or even a call by fraudsters, pretending to be officials at their bank, asking them to download a certain application. These apps give them access to your screen and effectively, the whole system including your personal banking details, messages and contacts, among other things. Once the screen sharing is enabled, the fraudsters sitting at a remote place can access information on the customer’s phone.
Police said that while ‘OTP frauds’ have decreased, many have lost money in a cheating spree in the name of online banking fraud. Such cases are happening despite the banks cautioning customers that they would not ask for personal details or ask to install any apps other than the official apps. RBI and banks authorities advise customers not to share information like expiry dates, CVC, OTP and PIN numbers with anyone.
Here are some safety tips to save yourself a fraud
- Do not download or activate the share screen share feature with unknown people
- Never download third party Apps such as Screenshare, Anydesk, Teamviewer based on call request from unknown person even if caller claims to be from Bank or Wallet Company
- Never download any application/UPI app/payment wallet recommended/requested by any unknown person
- Beware of fake customer care numbers you find on Google. Avoid searching for customer care contact details on search engines. One should always look for official websites of banks to get contact details
- Social media handles of most big companies and banks are verified; so one must pay attention to that
- Another red flag is if the customer care executive of the concerned company sends you a direct message (DM) on Twitter
What to do if you’re scammed?
- Report the fraud to service providers
- One should immediately change the passwords of all accounts that were compromised and other apps as well
- Report the scam to your local Cybercrime authorities or register a complaint on http://www.cybercrime.gov.in or dial toll-free number 1930