IMPHAL, April 23: After a series of scams like the Visarev, Global Index and Unipay, fraudsters posing as ATM card customer service executives have been duping people in the state. The scam came to light when this reporter was informed by a SBI customer, who nearly got trapped by a fraudster.
“Someone claiming to be a SBI ATM customer care executive called me over the phone. The caller told me that they are calling from Mumbai SBI main branch. He told me that the ATM card that I possessed has already expired”, recounted the customer.
She continued, “I thought it was a genuine call from the SBI. Then the man requested me to check my ATM card for the expiry date. I checked and I found that my ATM card expires in November 2014. He again told me that it was a special drive to renew the ATM card. I was assured that the validity will be for another 25 years.”
The customer said she almost believed the fraudster’s claimed. Customer Care calls us sometimes and they are always direct to the point. But the man on the phone was giving me lot of time to check my ATM card and other detail, said the woman SBI customer, from Sagolband area in Imphal west.
“He even sends SMS messages during the call. The message reads as: ‘Message from SBI Payment Gateway. OTP for 3D Secure registration, your verification is successful and the validity extended’. SBI Customer Care has never made such kind of validation over the phone without paper work. Getting curious, I asked the man to tell my name. He said he does not have my name but only the number. I finally confirmed my suspicion when the man asked me to give him the secret PIN NO of my ATM card, told the customer.
“I told the man that I will not disclose my PIN. He made repeated request. But I did not give. The man speaks in Hindi, and started abusing me with all kinds of vulgar words. The phone number from which the call was made: 9546482988”, the woman customer divulged.
IFP could not contact the SBI office as it was a bank holiday. A reliable source informs that such kind of fraud has duped many customers of the state in the past. It is a well organised crime. The numbers from which the calls are made are most of the time untraceable. These criminals swindles large amount of money from personal accounts of the customers by intruding into the e-banking network across the country, informs the source.