Preventing online frauds ..

*👍 Encyclopaedia of types of Online Frauds and way to prevent the same 👍*

This email is sent as precautionary measures to all. Though this msg is bit lengthy, we request everyone to read at least once. You may agree or disagree with some of the points. But, our main moto is to keep you and your family members alert from fake calls. 

A lot of cases are coming to light every day where even the most educated are becoming victims of online frauds, transferring their hard-earned money to scamsters through UPI or the internet. The amounts at times are painfully in lakhs. And once gone, it is going to be very hard to come back despite more and more complaints.

Modus operandi of scamsters :- 

1. You get a call from the Police away from your city that your parcel has narcotics / banned substances, and an FIR is being registered.  

2.  Your son / daughter is caught with drugs or met with an accident. Immediate money is required for hospitalisation/ bail.

3.  A known friend/ relative will call you or message you to lend money for some grave emergency.    

4.  Someone will pose as your customer, like to buy your product/ services and will send you advance money through a QR code which actually will be programmed to take money instead of giving. On first successful transfer he will plead a mistake and will send another QR to return the wrongly transferred amount and again polish off your money and keep repeating till you realise what is happening to you. E.g. OLX frauds.  

5.  Someone will tell you to renew your Insurance policy which is lying defunct. And entice you with gains and schemes.

6.  You have won a lottery and to get it online transfer of mandatory charges otherwise it will lapse in one hour.

7.  Irresistible offers for making money through shares & stocks trading, financial scheme, cheap plots, holidays, gifts, vouchers, investment, or anything financial.  

8.  AI cloned voice or video of your near and dear one pleading for help to bail him/her out of an emergency.    

9.  Threat to leak your intimate moments caught through your hacked phone or laptop camera. Overseas hackers demand ransom in Bitcoins. Famous Ransomware frauds.  

10.  A response to your ad for renting out a property / sell / purchase with immediate transfer of token money request.

11.  Calls from fake IT department, or ED or any so-called Govt Regulatory agency, scaring you to act before yesterday or immediately.

12.  Various types of Parcel frauds.

Each day a new way to siphon off your money online is being invented and successfully implemented.

Thumb rules to be followed to stay safe:-

1.  Always disconnect the call and call back your family/ friend to cross check from whose number or ID the scamster has made a call.

2.  Authenticate every such call by calling back, if you prefer to do so.

3.  Do not believe any person on call whom you have never met in person. Do not do any financial deal with unknown agent of even your own favourite bank/ LIC/ company.

4.  Cut the call if it starts with "A very good afternoon I am so & so speaking on behalf of so & so bank, kya meri baat Mr /Mrs ........ so & so se ho rahi hai.. "

5.  Install a premium version of Truecaller or any other call id software (certainly not promoted) which will warn you 90% of time for any potential fraud caller, do not pick such call and immediately block him on your phone.

6.  Never do UPI/ wallet transfers to anyone whom you don't owe a dime.

7.  Never transfer money when you are extremely busy, attending some important meeting, watching a show/ movie or out with friends. The moment they realise this half their job is done.  

8.  Never ever share the OTP that you received especially Aadhar OTP and the bank OTPs with anyone.

9.  Do not respond to messages regarding a threat that your electricity will be disconnected or your ATM card will be disabled or your bank account will be frozen.  All these are hoax.  

10.  Never do KYC updates on telephone calls. Do it through bank's authorised Netbanking or visit branch in person.  

11.  Do not link your bank account with UPI which have a huge balance. Do open another account and keep a small balance in it for UPI transfers.

12.  Always check the full details written with the QR code received for any UPI transfer.

13.  Call the caller to meet in person and check his credentials and still refuse to deal through him by telling that you do all your deals through a family member who is also an agent.

14.  Do not transfer any amount while the caller is live with you. He deliberately engages you in conversation which you are being led to stupidity.

15.  Never believe a caller if he says that his UPI is not working so he is requesting you to use yours, and it's an emergency.

16.  Mind you 100% such emergencies are fake but the caller will convince you of its genuineness. Do ask the name of that hospital where accident victim is not getting admission and tell him the name of some random doctor known to you who will help, he will disconnect the call.  You should actually call that hospital and find out truth.

17.  There are no free lunches and no easy gains.   Any lure which is bigger than the prevailing trends is a sure shot trouble. Avoid irresistible offers from unknown.

18.  Do not join advertised Whatsapp/ Telegram groups to learn inside tips for stock trading and multiplying your money.

19.  Stay alert stay safe. Don't be vulnerable, easy victim and gullible.  

20.  Do not respond to calls that you have multiple sims on your mobile and your phone will be disconnected in two hours or so.

21.  Shared for veterans/retired ones & all your near & dear ones for whom you care.

In the end, it is always advised to keep a close circle of friends and share their numbers with you/your parents so as to have a quick cross-check by calling the friends and ensuring the safety, and certainly to avoid huge losses at the hurried moments.