Cybercrimes: How not to be conned!

The cybercrime police station in Bangalore has received an average of 13 online fraud cases a day this year. Here are the most common scenarios they have come across, so you can stay alert, vigilant and prepared for such eventualities. And yes, please forward this to as many people you know. You could be saving a person from losing their entire life’s savings.

FAKE ONLINE JOB OFFERS
Fraudsters advertise fake job offers & fake employment, create fake and impersonating letters of reputed companies/ websites and ask job seeker to deposit cash. If you receive such offers, verify the authenticity by contacting the company directly. Do not give money.

EXPORT & IMPORT BUSINESS
If there is any change in the beneficiary account details, do not remit any funds without confirming with the individual company with whom you have already been transacting. Cultivate the habit of contacting your customer over phone before or after sending or receiving the consignment or before sending/remitting money.

OFFERS IN THE FORM OF SMS/EMAILS
Beware of offers in the form of sms/emails enticing that you have won Lottery, Huge Prize Money, and Valuable Articles etc.. Fraudsters may deceive you to deposit money for claiming such offers.

FRAUD ON CREDIT/DEBIT CARD
Do Not give out your credit card information online unless you assure that the site is a secure and reputable. If anything looks suspicious or you lose your credit card(s), you should contact the card issuing bank immediately.

FRAUDULENT ONLINE FUND TRANSFER
No bank will send any email requesting for password and other personal information. Never respond to such mails. Also, ignore any request transfer funds to known accounts promissing share of money.

GENERAL AWARENESS

Do not disclose your personal information to anybody more than required. 
Be careful while uploading your photos and personal details in any of the websites. 
Do not send and accept friend requests to unknown persons on social networking sites. 
Do not disclose your personal banking username, password and ATM pin number to anybody.  

SAFETY TIPS TO AVOID DEBIT OR ATM CARD FRAUDS
• When you type your PIN number at an ATM, make sure that you sufficiently obscure the keypad from being viewed by an onlooker.
• NEVER let the shopkeeper take your debit card out of your sight. There is no need for him/her to do so, unless he/she intends to do something unlawful.
• Secure your debit card physically by storing it at a safe place.
• NEVER write your PIN number at a place where it can be seen by someone who you do not intend to show it to.
• ALWAYS destroy the receipts from merchants that you no longer require, especially when you have paid for using your debit card.
• If you do not receive your debit card or PIN number from the bank within a reasonable amount of time after requesting one, check with the bank when it was sent and when you should expect to receive it. It may have been picked up by someone else in transit.
• When at an ATM, make sure that no external devices are attached to the ATM machine and no wires are hanging around.
• Check your account statements carefully for transactions that you may not have made.

USING ATM MACHINES
• Safeguard your credit cards and ATM cards at all times.
• If you notice something suspicious about the card slot on an ATM (like an attached device), do not use it and report it to the responsible authorities.
• Never disclose your ATM card and credit card PIN numbers to strangers.
• Beware of your surroundings while withdrawing money at ATM centers. Do not crumple and throw away the transaction slips or debt card memos: read them, make a mental note of the details and then, either tear them or shred them to trash.
• Periodically check your account balances on Internet or by requesting your bank or credit card company to send you statements to ensure that no transactions are happening behind your back.
• While entering any personal identification numbers, use your discretion to shield the keypad so that your hand movements are not very visible and you enter your passwords secretly.
• Be careful while withdrawing money from ATM Machine the attacker can shoulder surf to see your PIN.
• Incase any one behind you while withdrawing money just tell the ATM Security guard to ask him to wait out.
• Draw the cash only in well lit areas and secured ATMs.

TYPES OF CREDIT CARD FRAUD

Mail/Internet order fraud
• The mail and the Internet are major routes for fraud against merchants who sell and ship products, as well Internet merchants who provide online services. In this, fraudster presents stolen card information by indirect means, whether by mail, telephone or over the Internet to merchant site and orders the delivery of goods of lower value to avoid suspicion.
Skimming
• Skimming is the theft of credit card information used in an otherwise legitimate transaction. It is typically an “inside job” by a dishonest employee of a legitimate merchant, and can be as simple as photocopying of receipts. Common scenarios for skimming are restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim’s credit card out of their immediate view. The skimmer will typically use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the 3 or 4 digit Card Security Code which is not present on the magnetic strip.
Carding
Carding is a term used for a process to verify the validity of stolen card data. The thief presents the card information on a website that has real-time transaction processing. If the card is processed successfully, the thief knows that the card is still good. The specific item purchased is immaterial, and the thief does not need to purchase an actual product; a Web site subscription or charitable donation would be sufficient. The purchase is usually for a small monetary amount, both to avoid using the card’s credit limit, and also to avoid attracting the bank’s attention.

Safety tips to avoid Credit Card Fraud
• There is a critical 3-digit number on the back of the card called CVV (card verification value). Always erase and memorise it.
• A card’s magnetic strip has the basic details of the cardholder. But the card also comes with a blank space for you to sign in. You must sign on the card to avoid unauthorized use.
• Always check your monthly bank statements for any suspicious transactions.
• Shred the financial documents with care.
• Do not store your personal and credit card information on the computer.
• Do not write the PIN number down.
• During the online transactions, check if the web address starts with HTTPS, which ensures the encryption of all important data.
• Never delay to report a lost credit card as the consequences can be highly disastrous. Close the account that you suspect is being hit by the fraud.
• Thoroughly check the authenticity of the firm, the website, or any other transactional society where your money would be flowing through. Take a pause before venturing into any kind of online transaction and decide upon the authenticity of the transaction.