Skip to main content

Do not answer to emails asking you to update Bank Account data

PHISHING is on the rise in India. A large number of bank account holders continue to lose money due to phishing attacks. According to IBM-X Force Trend and Risk Report 2010, which is based on the study of global networks, India tops the list when it comes to origins of phishing emails and has a global share of 15.5 per cent.


Although, the number of phishing emails originating in India is high, phishing URLs are mostly hosted in other countries. Banks and financial institutions are the main targets of fraudsters.

There have been phishing attempts at top private and government banks. A large section of customers of these banks got emails asking them to update their account details. Several customers of these banks responded to the mails and lost money. If you lose your money due to phishing, banks are not liable to pay back your money.

If a fraud has occurred because a customer compromised his password and personal details, a bank will not bear the loss of the customer. It is the job of the customer to protect his bank details.

How can you recognise a phishing mail? You would see a message in your inbox from your bank with which you have an internet-enabled account asking you to update your account with your personal information, passwords, usernames /login ID, ATM PINS and credit card details on the pretext of upgradation of server of the bank. You will be asked to click on a link. By clicking, you would be linked to a website that is identical to your bank. If you are smart enough, you would realise that this is a trap to get your vital information to make fraudulent transactions.

A few months ago, fraudsters in garb as officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) send emails to people asking them for their account details. The fraud came to light after people reported that they have received an email from the address update @rbi.org.in, which was suspicious.

The Cyber Emergency Response Team of India blocked the fake RBI website, while the RBI on its website alerted people not to fall prey to the phishing scam and alert the police and their bank if they have shared their bank details.


Simple steps to avoid falling prey to these scams: Most phishing emails come with a warning that if you don't give your personal information, your account will be deactivated. Always be suspicious of mails that ask for your personal information.

Do not click on the link provided in the email. If you closely observe, the link would be a fake URL with a fake email address for instance ICICI.bank@gmail.com, which is not the correct address of ICICI Bank, or sbicustomerservice @hotmail.com.

Do not give any confidential information such as password, customer identification number, credit/debit card number, personal identification number, date of birth to any email request, even if the request is from government authorities like the income tax department or any card association company such as Visa or MasterCard.

Do not open unexpected email attachments or instant message download links.

Always check the web address carefully before sharing any information.

For logging in, always type the website address of the bank on your web browser.

Ensure that you have installed the latest anti-virus or anti-spyware or personal firewall or security patches on your computer or high end mobile phones.

Do not access net banking or make payments using your credit/debit card from shared or unprotected computers in public places.

Do not call and leave any personal or account details on any telephone system, voice message, email or an SMS.

Do not transfer funds to or share your account details with unknown people.

If you smell something fishy, call the bank and the police.
 

Popular posts from this blog

Retirement planning from a long-term perspective

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Buy Gold Mutual Funds     `HOW green was my valley'. This title comes from a movie I had watched many years ago. A little boy's journey into adulthood and the story of a Welsh valley's turn of-the-century descent from pristine paradise to despoiled coal mining.   I thought of the title because it is comparatively reflective of a person's life ­ the glorious years when he is earning and the sun down years when he is not having his regular job and, hence, his living standards comes down. The reason is a combination of things. Inflation of food items, transport, increase in health related costs in the later years of life and increase in expenses in almost all basic amenities of life. In India, the social security system is almost non-existent. In some states, wherever it is available, the scales of benefits are extremely modest...
Read more

CNX Midcap vs BNP Paribas Midcap Fund

BNP Paribas Midcap Fund - Invest Online   Te  performance of BNP Paribas Midcap Fund  – which has across the last 3 years generated superior returns over the benchmark – especially when the markets have gone down the fund has handsomely outperformed the benchmark preserving the capital of the investors. The fund has been able to do this only due to the superior stock selection process ( BMV approach) that is diligently followed at BNPP.   Highlights of BNP Paribas Mid Cap Fund:   Investment Objective : BNP Paribas Mid Cap Fund gives an investor exposure to invest in the various quality midcap stocks. The fund also has some exposure to large as well as small cap stocks.   Investment Approach : BMV ( Quality and scalability of Business →Good Management → Reasonable Valuation ) with Bottom-up stock picking.   Most of the investors are way happier if the fund that they have invested in is a significant Outperformer in tough times than in Good ti...
Read more

Investment Strategy - What is Sector Rotation Theory?

Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)   The economy goes through cycles : it expands for a few years and then contracts. Study of historical data suggests that different sectors tend to perform well on the stock markets during different stages of the economic cycle. While history never repeats itself exactly, some broad patterns tend to recur. Investors can take advantage of the sector rotation theory to move their money from those sectors that have seen their best times to those that are likely to do well in future.   The person who developed the sector rotation theory is Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard & Poor's. He developed this theory by studying data on economic cycles going as far back as 1854 provided by the National Bureau of Economic Research ( NBER ) of the US.   When trying to correlate stock-market perfor...
Read more

LIC's JEEVAN SHIKHAR

  LIC's Jeevan Shikhar is a participating, non-linked, saving cum protection single premium plan wherein the risk cover is ten times of Tabular Single Premium. The proposer will have an option to choose the Maturity Sum Assured. The premium payable shall depend on the chosen amount of Maturity Sum Assured and age at entry of the life assured. This plan also takes care of liquidity need through its loan facility. The plan will be open for sale for a maximum period of 120 days from the date of launch. 1.   BENEFITS   : a) Death Benefit: On death during first five policy years: Before the date of commencement of risk   :   Refund of Single Premium without interest. Single Premium mentioned above shall not include any extra amount if charged under the policy due to underwriting decision and taxes. After the date of commencement of risk   : "Sum Assured on Death" equal to 10 times the tabular single premium shall be payable. On death after completion of five policy years but b...
Read more

Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) set for launch this week

The finance ministry is set to notify the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme ( RGESS ) this week.   Though Finance Minister PChidambaram had approved on September 21, the scheme announced in this year's Budget, and had said that the revenue department will notify the scheme and the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi ) would issue relevant circulars within two weeks, it is yet to become operational.   A senior finance ministry official said the revenue department was expected to notify the scheme any day now to attract retail investors to the equity segment.   He added that Sebi was not required to issue any circular for the operationalisation of the scheme and that after the issuance of the revenue department's notification, investors would be able to avail of the benefits of the scheme.   The official accepted that implementation of the scheme had been delayed due to the deliberations on inclusion of mutual funds ( MF ) in it.   ...
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now