Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Bhubaneswar Prateek Singh on Wednesday released a video advising people to stay alert and not to fall prey to cyber frauds during this festive season.
He said, “As the festive season knocks on the door, it is natural for people to go shopping. And apart from cash transactions, there are other means of payment through internet which has been targeted by the cyber fraudsters recently.
Further cautioning people to stay alert, Singh said, “The cyber frauds will try to trick you by offering lucrative schemes and rewards like increasing limit in credit cards, gift coupons, lottery, etc. Please do not believe in such offers and do not click on any links neither share OTP with anybody.”
“If such a thing happens and you are defrauded, then please call the cyber helpline number of Bhubaneswar police, 7440006709 immediately,” he added.
Finally, Singh signed off by hoping nobody gets duped by cyber fraudsters and this festive season goes as planned for every household.
It is pertinent to mention here that online transactions multiply manifold during the festive season beginning from Ganesh Puja through Dussehra, Diwali till the Christmas and New Year celebrations. And cyber fraudsters come out to hunt innocent unsuspecting shoppers to dupe them of their hard earned money.
Recently the Reserve Bank of India had listed out some safe banking practices to keep the fraudsters at bay.
Safe Digital Banking Practices:
- Do not share account details such as account number, login ID, password, PIN, UPI-PIN, OTP, ATM / Debit card / credit card details with anyone.
- 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.
- Do not download any unknown app on your phone / device.
- Transactions involving receipt of money do not require scanning barcodes / QR codes or entering MPIN.
- Check URLs and domain names received in emails / SMSs for spelling errors. Use only verified, secured, and trusted websites / apps for online banking, that is, websites starting with ‘’https’’. In case of suspicion, notify local police / cybercrime branch immediately.
- 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.
- Do not share the password of your email linked to your bank / e-wallet account.