KYC is new bait used by cyber crooks in Cyberabad

Hyderabad: The KYC fraud is back in focus once again, with fraudsters trying different tricks from the crook book to fleece gullible people. The situation has seen the Cyberabad Police registering 140 cases of KYC fraud this year so far, with Know Your Customer (KYC) details for SBI, Airtel and PayTm being among the top baits used to trap people.

Over Rs.67 lakh has been siphoned off in Cyberabad alone so far in 2021, officials said, adding that fraudsters were using links created using Ngrok, Bitly, Google View form and Survey Monkey and other online applications.

The most common modus operandi was to contact SBI account and credit card holders, by sending messages and calls warning them to update their KYC details. For updating the KYC, they asked customers to download different remote access applications like Any Desk app, Quick Support App and Team Viewer App.

“When the customer downloads the application, they ask customers to transfer nominal amounts like Rs.1, Rs.10 or Rs.100 for checking. When the customer transfers the money by entering bank account details, their accounts are hacked and money is debited into the fraudster’s accounts,” police said, adding that NGROK and Bitly links were also sent along with messages asking users to click on the link to update KYC. When the users clicked, they would be redirected to a fake web page, where banking credentials like user ID, password and OTP would be stolen.

Here’s an advisory from the Cyberabad Cybercrime wing:

• Never believe messages or calls asking to update KYC
• Bank authorities never send messages/mails/or call for KYC update
• Never share bank account details, particularly PIN or OTP
• Never download mobile applications suggested by unknown callers
• Never transfer money on the request of strangers

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