KYC Frauds: Retired RBI employee falls prey to a scam, loses Rs 3.38 lakh; Here’s how to remain safe

New Delhi: Another cyber fraud instance involving a 70-year-old woman in Mumbai resulted in a loss of Rs 3.38 lakhs! The woman is a retired RBI employee whose pension is her only source of income. Fraudsters approached a woman posing as an SBI employee who wanted to complete an online KYC process.

The woman was taken in by the con. According to reports, the woman received a message on her phone on November 8 stating that she had not updated her KYC information in a long time. The message included a phone number that purported to be that of an SBI officer.

The woman eventually fell prey and dialled the phone number. On the other end of the line, the scammer pretended to be Rahul and asked the victim to complete "SBI's new KYC process for senior folks," which is entirely online. She received a link from the scammer after consenting.

When the woman clicked the link, she was taken to a page with an SBI logo at the top. All of her bank and transaction information was requested on the form. The scammer executed six transactions back-to-back as soon as the woman put in her information. The entire amount taken out of her account was Rs 3.38 lakhs.

Later, the woman sought assistance from a neighbour, who advised her to phone the bank's helpline number and immediately block the card. After that, the woman went to her branch and filled out a dispute form, which was followed by an FIR at the local police station.

Here's how to avoid cyber fraud attacks:

- Always keep in mind that no bank will contact a customer to ask them to do an online KYC, especially by SMS. If you receive similar SMS messages or emails in your inbox, delete them right away.
- If you become confused and end up calling the person, never give them your bank account information over the phone. Only you should know your bank credentials, which comprise your account number, IFSC code, and password. 
- Also, never give out any OTP codes you receive for any account transaction to anybody else.