In recent times, cases of cyber fraud have been increasing rapidly. Fraudsters pretending to be bank employees steal confidential information of customers through fake calls and messages and withdraw money from their accounts. In view of this danger, the country’s largest government bank, State Bank of India (SBI), has issued a special alert for its customers. The bank has told what kind of calls customers should be careful of and keep their hard-earned money safe.
SBI gave this important information
SBI has clearly told its customers that their call center contacts customers only from numbers starting with 1600 or 140 series. If a call comes from another number and the person on the other side introduces themselves as an SBI employee, then be careful immediately, as this call may be part of a fraud.
Why is this alert important?
Fraudsters now call in the name of bank employees and ask customers for their banking information, like account number, password, OTP, and ATM PIN. They use this information to immediately withdraw money from your bank account. In such a situation, identifying from which number the call is coming is the first and most important step towards security.
What should customers do?
SBI and other banks also give many suggestions to their customers to avoid such fraud. Never share your banking information on calls from unknown numbers. Do not disclose confidential information like your OTP, CVV, or ATM PIN over the phone at all. If the call seems suspicious, disconnect it immediately and contact the SBI branch or their helpline directly.
It is very important to note that no bank or financial institution ever asks you for your personal banking information over the phone. By keeping your information safe, you can protect yourself from such fraud.
RBI’s instruction
Let us tell you that the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) had also instructed all banks and financial institutions in January this year to make transaction and service-related calls only from ‘1600xx’ series numbers. This step has been taken to increase the security of customers and protect them from fraudsters.
The purpose of this alert is to ensure that you do not fall prey to any online fraud. Always be vigilant to keep your hard-earned money safe.