Beware! Govt cautions against deceptive 'Smishing' scam tactics; key points to remember

Scammers employ various deceptive tactics online to carry out their scams. To safeguard against these malicious activities, governments remain vigilant in the digital realm, working to ensure your protection.

Likewise, the government takes its responsibility seriously and extends its vigilance to the online domain, specifically on the X platform, previously known as Twitter.

They do so through the CyberDost initiative, an official government page managed by cybercrime.gov.in.

This initiative focuses on enhancing cyber-safety and cyber-security awareness and operates under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Recently, the government's cyber-security awareness initiative, CyberDost, issued an alert about a particular type of scam known as 'smishing'.

The term 'smishing' is a fusion of SMS and phishing, a tactic wherein fraudsters exploit text messages to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information.

In an advisory, the government emphasises caution against interacting with suspicious links and sharing personal data in response to unsolicited texts.

The CyberDost initiative, present on the X platform, has taken a proactive approach by sharing an animated video on their official account.

#DidyouKnow? Smishing (SMS phishing) uses misleading texts to trick you into revealing confidential information.#Dial1930 to report online financial fraud and report any #cybercrime at https://t.co/cr6WZMOi4c#CyberSafeIndia #phishing #Smishing #Online #CyberThreat #CyberSec pic.twitter.com/Yvl1SOouwC

— Cyber Dost (@Cyberdost) August 26, 2023

The video's caption reads: “#DidyouKnow? Smishing (SMS phishing) employs misleading texts to manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information. #Dial1930 to promptly report online financial fraud, and for any #cybercrime incidents, access http://cybercrime.gov.in.”

Besides, the animation imparts valuable guidance on refraining from clicking on questionable links or sharing personal details through text messages, particularly if these messages arrive unsolicited.

The initiative underscores the importance of staying vigilant and informed to thwart potential cyber threats.
In response to the X platform post, a user wisely noted, "Yes, everyone knows this. They just don’t know how to tell the difference between a legitimate message from a message that impersonates a person, brand, or bank."

Other users also voiced concerns on the CyberDost X platform post, sharing their individual issues.