The number of cases on hacking of mobile
banking data is on the rise in Kalimpong and is posing difficulties to
the users as well as the banks which provide the service. The hackers
can transfer money out of people’s account through a simple call or an
SMS within minutes. In the last two months, as many as 6 cases of mobile
banking fraud have been registered at the local police station.
As per the hackers’ modus operandi, they
disguise themselves as bank officials and call the customers in the
context of solving a certain hypothetical issue. They would then
meticulously lure the customers and create a one-time pin code for an
online mobile banking transaction and would use the pin-code to withdraw
money from the customer's bank account. The hackers have managed to
siphon cash worth Rs.7-40 from each individual in the six cases
registered in Kalimpong.
State Bank of India, Axis Bank, Union
Bank and Bank of India are among the banks where customer’s account has
been hacked in the last two months. These banks through letters and SMSs
have also started notifying their customers to avoid providing vital
banking information to any unknown callers and also to inform the banks
if they receive such call.
Moreover, Kalimpong is not the only
place which has been plagued by the problem with Siliguri also
registering as many as 5 different cases of mobile banking fraud. In a
bid to curb the issue, the Siliguri police have started informing the
people about such practices through pamphlets and announcements.
Meanwhile, Kalimpong police station in-charge Achinta Gupta today
informed about the problem through media and urged to people to be aware
and vigilant.
Gupta also urged the people to avoid
providing any banking information of their account to unknown callers
and to inform the police immediately if they receive such calls. He
however did not provide any information about the progress in the
investigations related to the six registered cases.
Notably, a few days ago hackers managed
to withdraw Rs 36,000 from a local doctor’s bank account. The doctor had
filed a complaint at the Kalimpong PS. Similarly a local businessman,
Binod Agarwal, lost Rs 7,800 on April 26 in a similar way. People say
there have been many such cases recently, but not all have taken the
initiative to lodge a complaint.(EOIC)