Airtel CEO raises alarm over surge in cyber frauds amid pandemic, outlines steps on how to stay safe online

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Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal on Thursday raised alarm bells for its 300-plus million subscribers in India over the surge in circumstances of cyber frauds amid the continuing pandemic. In an electronic mail despatched out to prospects right this moment, Vittal highlighted the modus operandi that miscreants are seemingly adopting to trick unsuspecting customers – who’re counting on on-line transactions now greater than ever – with a purpose to mete out their nefarious practices, say as an illustration, to steal their hard-earned cash. The e-mail additionally carried some helpful suggestions to bear in mind to keep away from being a sufferer of on-line fraud throughout these difficult instances.

“With the rising second wave of the pandemic and lockdowns in varied components of the nation, there was a large improve in on-line transactions. Sadly, there has additionally been a corresponding improve in cyber fraud,” Vittal stated.

One of many ways in which fraudsters might trick customers is by calling or texting them beneath the pretext of an Airtel worker claiming their Know Your Buyer (KYC) kind was incomplete. To facilitate this “false” declare, they may ask customers to put in a so-called “Airtel Fast Assist” app from the Google Play Retailer presumably by way of a hyperlink despatched over to their system. Be warned that no such app exists formally.

The hyperlink as a substitute is deigned to redirect customers to a different app referred to as “TeamViewer Fast Assist”, which is a malware in disguise, and as soon as put in, it might permit the fraudster to get full management over the person’s system and all of the accounts related to it. Vittal urged customers to protect in opposition to such situations which is to say, be extraordinarily cautious about clicking on any such hyperlink and putting in any such app as a result of Airtel will “by no means ask you to obtain any third-party apps.”

Fraudsters might additionally attain out to customers with a promise of extremely discounted VIP numbers equally. In lieu of this, they may ask customers to pay a sure token or reserving quantity and grow to be “untraceable” after receiving these funds. Vittal stated that “Airtel doesn’t promote VIP numbers on the telephone” and due to this fact it was advisable to not fall for any such try.

OTP frauds are on the rise recently, Vittal stated, because of the improve in digital transactions as an increasing number of individuals keep cooped up inside their houses to curb the unfold of novel coronavirus. Fraudsters might name customers beneath the pretext of a financial institution or monetary establishment and ask them for his or her account particulars, or an OTP claiming to unlock or renew their current account. If shared, this might permit them to withdraw cash from the person’s account. Vittal urged customers to not fall for such a factor.

Yet one more method that fraudsters might dupe customers is by pretending to purchase a second-hand listed product from a web site, negotiating the value, and in search of out their UPI particulars to switch the funds. An SMS hyperlink is often despatched to the person’s telephone to approve the transaction however as a substitute of crediting the quantity, cash is debited from their account.

Vittal stated in all of the circumstances the place customers had been referred to as by pretend Airtel staff, they may merely name 121 to verify if that was certainly the case – or in the event that they had been being duped. The Airtel CEO added that the telco was working relentlessly to make sure customers weren’t weak to those fraudsters and launched options like “Secure Pay” that’s stated to supply a further layer of safety for each transaction.