How to ward off online scamsters

Is it easy to prevent online fraud? Can you stay away from being defrauded by online scamsters? As India moves ahead with the convenience of tech-savvy modes of payments, there has been a sizable surge in online frauds. The online modes of payments may be associated with improved customer convenience, but there is a spurt in the number of frauds in retail financial transactions. Fraudsters are using innovative methods to defraud the hard-earned money of common and gullible people, especially the new entrants who may not be entirely familiar with the techno-financial ecosystem which is on a steady churn with new innovations in place.

A booklet published by an ombudsman’s office in Mumbai has given several important reminders to people who are using online applications and websites for financial transactions.

Dos and don’ts

There are a few basic dos and don’ts that everyone should pay heed to. To begin with, users should be wary of suspicious-looking pop-ups that appear during a browsing session. One should always check for a secure payment gateway (https://- URL with a padlock symbol) before making online payments. Most importantly, one should keep their PIN (Personal Identification Number), password, and credit or debit card number, and CVV private.

It is better not to save credit/debit card details on websites/devices/public laptops/desktops. Also, it is important to turn on two-factor authentication wherever the facility is available.

One should ignore emails from unknown sources containing suspicious attachments or links which could be used for phishing. Another important factor to remember is to change the passwords at regular intervals. Antivirus should be installed on all devices and should go for updates whenever available.

For safe internet browsing, one should keep in mind not to visit unsecured websites. Users must stay away from entering secure credentials on unknown websites. Similarly, one should not share private information with unknown persons on social media.

Make use of the virtual keyboards on public devices since the keystrokes can also be captured through compromised devices, keyboards, etc. One should log out of the internet banking session immediately after usage. Similarly, don’t forget to update passwords on a periodic basis. One should avoid using similar passwords for email and internet banking. Similarly, stay away from public terminals such as cyber-café, etc, for financial transactions.

For e-mail account security, it has listed another set of dos and don’ts.

The basic rule is that one should not click emails from unknown addresses. Also, one should avoid using emails on public or free networks. Stay away from storing secure credentials/bank passwords, etc, in emails.

For password security, it is always better to use a combination of alphanumeric and special characters in your password. One should keep two-factor authentications for all your accounts if the facility is available. And make it mandatory to change passwords periodically.

How to register online complaints

Complaint to RBI: Click here

Complaint to SEBI: Please visit the link at Click here

Complaint to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI): Click here

Complaint to National Housing Bank (NHB): Click here

Complaint to Cyber Police Station: Click here