ICICI Bank has issued a strong warning to its customers about the rising threat of SMS-based scams. The bank highlighted that cybercriminals are using fraudulent messages to lure customers into revealing sensitive information through malicious links.
“If you receive a message from a Bank, government agency or a company, verify its authenticity independently by contacting them through official channels.Do not use the contact information provided in the message,” said the bank in the advisory.
“Anyone asking for an OTP is a scammer — companies will never ask you to share OTP with their support or security teams. Report cyber frauds immediately to National Cyber Crime at cybercrime.gov.in or call their helpline on 1930. ICICI Bank never asks for details related to OTP, PIN or your password,” added the bank.
Along with this, ICICI Bank has also shared some techniques which the fraudsters are using to scam the customers. The customers follow these tips to spot a potential fraud and stay protected.
How text message frauds work
“If you receive a message from a Bank, government agency or a company, verify its authenticity independently by contacting them through official channels.Do not use the contact information provided in the message,” said the bank in the advisory.
“Anyone asking for an OTP is a scammer — companies will never ask you to share OTP with their support or security teams. Report cyber frauds immediately to National Cyber Crime at cybercrime.gov.in or call their helpline on 1930. ICICI Bank never asks for details related to OTP, PIN or your password,” added the bank.
Along with this, ICICI Bank has also shared some techniques which the fraudsters are using to scam the customers. The customers follow these tips to spot a potential fraud and stay protected.
How text message frauds work
- You receive an SMS from an unknown or ‘spoofed’ number. Scammers use technology to make it look like they are messaging you from a company or a person you know (such as ICICI Bank)
- The SMS creates a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly. For example, it may claim that money has been deducted from your Bank Account or your Bank Account has been suspended
- The fraudster tries to get you to either respond, click on a link, download an app or call a number to know your Bank Account credentials.
Here are some tips to help you identify SMS frauds
- Sender’s number: Be cautious of messages from unfamiliar or suspicious numbers, especially if they claim to be from a well-known organisation
- Urgent or threatening language: They may claim that money has been deducted from your Account and you must take immediate action
- Spelling or grammatical errors: Many fraud messages contain spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Legitimate organisations usually proofread their messages carefully
- Unsolicited links: Be extremely cautious of links in SMS messages, especially if you did not expect to receive such a message in the first place or if the SMS link looks suspicious. Avoid clicking on such links.