In a bid to protect their customers from financial frauds, banks and various financial institutes keep warning their customers against sharing their bank details — be it pins, OTPs, passwords — with others. Now EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) through its website has asked its members not to share their account details with others, especially over the phone.

EPFO has informed that they never ask their members to share their personal details such as Aadhaar, PAN, UAN or bank details, over the phone. It has further clarified that they also never call their members or subscribers to deposit any amount in any bank. Experts say, these types of calls are made by fake callers and scamsters, and, hence, one should not respond to such fake calls.

Till now, most banks and other financial institutions used to warn their customers to avoid falling prey to fraudsters posing as bank employees, and not to share their ATM pins, passwords, OTPs, card details along with personal details with anyone. Now EPFO has come up with the same warning for its members.

Experts suggest people should avoid responding to telecalls, SMS, fake emails and offers made by websites and scamsters, asking them to deposit money into any bank account towards any claim settlement, higher pension, advance amount or any other service provided by banks or financial institutions.

As, for the withdrawal of money, EPFO allows its members to file a claim online, fraudsters use this opportunity and call the members posing as EPFO officials or sending phishing emails in order to lure the EPF account holders. They ask for more money to approve the claim, which many members fall prey to.

What to do in such a case?

If you have unknowingly provided personal information to an unknown person, and feel that there is something wrong with your account or your account might have been phished, you should report to the concerned bank or the financial institution about such interactions immediately. In the mean time, you should also check your account statement to make sure it is correct in every respect, and also change your passwords. If you are unaware, you can also visit the company website to use other compensatory controls provided by them for its customers.

Things to avoid at all cost:

  • Do not click on any over-promising suspicious link in your email.
  • Do not provide confidential information via email.
  • Instant message download links or unexpected email attachments should not be opened.
  • Avoid making payments from computers in public places using your credit/debit card or access net banking.