Scammers sending fraud messages to HDFC customers, aim to empty their bank account

By Divya BhatiThe cases of cyber fraud are increasing at a high rate. Everyday, thousands of cases of fraud related to banking or digital payment fraud are registered in cyber cells. According to a report by Statistica, there were over 4.8 thousand cases of online banking frauds reported across India in 2021. Another report by RBI shared by Minister of State for Finance said in the Lok Sabha stated that frauds reported by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) under the category “Card/Internet- ATM/Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Internet Banking”, involved around Rs 128 crore of Indian public in the financial year 2021-22.

While there are several ways through which scammers steal money, one of the most common ways through which scammers trick people is through phishing SMS. Especially the phishing bank SMS through which cyber fraudsters scare people by telling them that their bank account is suspended and asking them to update their KYC or PAN by clicking on the link attached to the SMS. However, once someone gets tricked and believe in the SMS and clicks on the link, their phone is hacked and they end up losing their money.

Phishing SMS fraud is very common and many banks have released an advisory for people not to believe in such SMS. Recently, even HDFC alerted its customers about such fraud, when some of its users tagged the bank about a viral HDFC bank SMS they were receiving on their mobile phone.

One of the phishing SMS shared on Twitter by user Sanghamitra Mazumdar, reads, ” HDFC Customer your HDFC NET BANKING will be suspended today please update your PAN card now visit below the link,”the message is followed by a link.

Another user replied to this tweet and shared a SMS where he was asked to update his KYC. The SMS he received reads, “Dear customer your HDFC account will be hold today please update your KYC immediately click here “.

Alerting them about the phishing scam, HDFC Bank care replied to the tweets and wrote ” Hi Sanghamitra, we request you not to respond to unknown numbers asking for Pan Card / KYC update or any other banking information. HDFC Bank will always send messages from their official ID hdfcbk / hdfcbn and links in these messages will always be under http://hdfcbk.io.”

In the same twitter thread, HDFC bank further wrote, “domain. Remember, 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! -Anay, Service Manager.”

So what exactly these phishing SMS links are and how one can prevent themselves from falling for such banking frauds?

What is phishing bank SMS scam

In typical banking frauds which are related to phishing SMS, scammers send fake messages impersonating banks and ask people for personal information such as account details, OTPs, and identification numbers. Or they will ask them to click on a link to update their KYC or PAN on the pretext of activating their bank accounts.
However, if someone clicks on such links and falls from these SMS, scammers get remote access to their mobile or bank credentials, which they later use to empty your bank account.

Notably, legitimate banks will never ask you to share sensitive credentials or send unsolicited messages. Never respond to any fishy SMS or request. Most importantly, never share sensitive information such as your account number, card number, OTP, CVV, or personal IDs. SMS related to PAN cards and KYC are the most common and are sent to trick innocent or unaware people.

Here are some important points that you should always keep in mind to be safe from banking fraud.

How to be safe from phishing bank SMS scam

– Never share personal information like OTP, bank details, mobile number or other on SMS or unsolicited call.

– Always keep strong passwords for your UPI, internet banking and even mobile phone. Additionally, change your passwords in regularly.

– Always verify the sender before taking any step on any SMS request. In cases of bank alerts, contact the bank manager or report such SMS.

– Enable two-factor authentication for online banking. So, every time you access your account you will need to enter your password and OTP. You can even set your biometrics like a fingerprint, as a second password for more stranger verification.

– In SMS like the one we shared above you can see that the SMS include a non-secure link and even the English language is not good. Always check for such details and delete such messages if you have received one.