Amid rising cyberattacks, HDFC Bank customers now face a barrage of phishing SMSes sent to them for over a week. So they took to social media to narrate these incidents witnessed since the last week of February.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported that during the fiscal year 2021-22, around Rs 128 crore were stolen in frauds related to "card/internet- ATM/debit cards, credit cards, and internet banking." This figure was shared by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) to RBI.
Aanup Gupta, a managing editor and one of the latest phishing victims, stated that he received messages about blocking his HDFC account. He allegedly received them from two Bihar-registered BSNL numbers.
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It is a common technique known as "phishing bank SMS," in which cyber fraudsters scare people by saying that their bank account has been suspended and asking them to update their know-your-customer (KYC) or PAN card by clicking on the link provided in the SMS. Criminals can hack phones and steal money if individuals get tricked and click on the link.
In a Twitter post, Gupta asked HDFC Bank, Delhi Police, and BSNL to take action on such incidents.
Says Aanup Gupta: "Like many, I, too, in the past few days, have received messages from 8580131986 and 9431727591, informing me my account in HDFC had been blocked. In Truecaller, both numbers are identified as frauds. Both numbers are registered in Bihar."
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"The English in both messages were doggy, screaming fraud alert. Many others have shared the same experience as well as recorded a spurt in such messages in the recent past. Unfortunately, by now, many vulnerable public members would have fallen prey to this scam," he added.
A request was made by Nilesh Shah, the managing director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company, to HDFC bank, on February 25, 2023, when he was baited by two different numbers on his HDFC account.
"@HDFC_Bank @HDFCBank_Cares, These two messages look like Fraudsters trying to still data. Please do the needful at your end to take this up with authorities," he said.
HDFC Bank has once again informed its customers that it would send messages from its official IDs, hdfcbk and hdfcbn, with links under http://hdfcbk.io. "Remember, the bank will never ask for PAN details, OTP, UPI, VPA / MPIN, Customer ID & Password, Card No, ATM PIN & CVV. Please do not share your confidential details with anyone," the bank said.
Avoid fraud by checking the sender's identity before acting on any SMS request, reporting the SMS to the bank manager, and confirming bank alerts with your bank manager. Use two-factor authentication for online banking. You must enter your password and OTP each time you access your account. Your fingerprint can even be used as a second password. Don't click unidentifiable links and delete such messages.
