The Reserve Bank of India vide its press release dated 28th January 2022, urges the members of public to practice safe digital banking by taking all due precautions, while carrying out any digital (online / mobile) banking / payment transactions.
It has come to the notice of Reserve Bank of India that unscrupulous elements are defrauding and misleading members of public by using innovative modus operandi including social media techniques, mobile phone calls, etc. In view of this, the Reserve Bank cautions members of public to be aware of fraudulent messages, spurious calls, unknown links, false notifications, unauthorized QR Codes, etc. promising help in securing concessions / expediting response from banks and financial service providers in any manner.
RBI has notified the following safe digital banking practice to be followed by the public:
- Never share your account details such as account number, login ID, password, PIN, UPI-PIN, OTP, ATM / Debit card / credit card details with anyone, not even with bank officials, however genuine they might sound. Any phone call / email threatening the blocking of your account on the pretext of non-updation of KYC and suggestion to click link for updating the same is a common modus operandi of fraudsters. Do not respond to offers for getting KYC updated / expedited. Always access the official website of your bank / NBFC / e-wallet provider or contact the branch.
- If you receive an OTP for debiting your account for a transaction not initiated by you, inform your bank / e-wallet provider immediately. If you receive a debit SMS for a transaction not done, inform your bank / e-wallet provider immediately and block all modes of debit, including UPI. If you suspect any fraudulent activity in your account, check for any addition to the beneficiary list enabled for internet / mobile banking.
- Do not share the password of your email linked to your bank / e-wallet account. Do not have common passwords for e-commerce / social media sites and your bank account / email linked to your bank account. Avoid banking through public, open or free networks.
- Regularly check your email and phone messages for alerts from your financial service provider. Report any un-authorized transaction observed to your bank / NBFC / Service provider immediately for blocking the card / account / wallet, so as to prevent any further losses.
- Secure your cards and set daily limit for transactions. You may also set limits and activate / deactivate for domestic / international use. This can limit loss due to fraud.
- Always access the official website of bank / NBFC / e-wallet provider for contact details. Contact numbers on internet search engines may be fraudulent.
