HDFC Bank Cautions Citizens Against Digital Arrest Fraud, Shares Message

 KNT: HDFC Bank has advised customers to be cautious against digital arrest fraud.

   In a digital arrest scam, fraudsters target individuals or businesses, posing as law enforcement or government officials. Victims are threatened with a digital arrest warrant for alleged tax evasion, regulatory violations or financial misconduct. The fraudsters ask for payment in the form of ‘settlement fee’ or ‘penalty’ to withdraw the digital arrest warrant. Once the payment is made, the fraudsters disappear, leaving no trace of their identity.

    Cautioning on this fraud, Manish Agrawal, Senior Executive Vice President – Credit Intelligence and Control – HDFC Bank, said, “Fraudsters are directly targeting the emotions of the customers. When someone receives a call or message from fraudsters claiming to be law enforcement officers, always confirm their identity by independently contacting the government, and law enforcement officials via proper channel.”

    Tips to protect from Digital Arrest Fraud include, real government officials will never ask for payment or banking details, scammers often create a sense of emergency to make you act quickly without thinking, do not share sensitive information such as KYC details, bank details like – user ID password, card details, CVV, OTPs or PIN number, with anyone, always verify the officer’s identity by independently contacting the government official or law enforcement agency, look for errors in documents and avoid clicking on suspicious links and report such suspected fraudulent communication on Department of Telecommunication’s Chakshu Portal.

     The month of October is observed as the National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This year, the campaign theme is “Cyber Surakshit Bharat” (#SatarkNagrik) which emphasises the importance of being vigilant against online frauds and following secure banking practices.

   In the event that a person becomes the victim of any online fraud, they should immediately report the unauthorised transactions to the Bank in order to get the payment channel blocked. Customers should also file a complaint by calling 1930 helpline number started by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as well as submit a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. [KNT]