The Bank educated over 8,000 citizens on Safe Digital Banking Practices in festive season

December 22, 2023: HDFC Bank as a part of its ongoing digital banking awareness drive, conducted a series of secure banking workshops in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir. The Bank organized over 300 such workshops in November and December amid the festive season sensitizing over 8,000 citizens on safe digital banking practices.

These workshops were aimed at educating school, colleges, customers, law enforcement agencies, senior citizens, self-help groups, customers and employees. Through these interactive sessions, participants gained valuable insights on safe digital banking practices so that they don’t fall prey to Cyber Frauds.

The workshop covered an array of pertinent topics, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of digital security:
1. IFAW’s Background: Attendees were introduced to the mission/role of International Fraud Awareness Week in advocating digital awareness.
2. Cyber Fraud Awareness: Detailed discussions were held explaining common cyber threats like Vishing, Phishing, Smishing, remote device access, SIM swap, and UPI frauds. Real-life examples were used to deepen understanding.
3. Secure Net-banking and Shopping Tips: The sessions highlighted best practices for secure online transactions, spotlighting the significance of Vigil Aunty and offering invaluable tips for safe online shopping.
4. Preventive Measures: Attendees were guided not to divulge sensitive information such as OTPs, CVVs, Debit/Credit card PINs, and UPI pins.

Commenting on this Mr. Manish Agrawal, Executive Vice President – Credit Intelligence and Control – HDFC Bank said, “The festive season is a time for joy and celebration, but at the same time cyber criminals are also on the prowl. Typically, during this period due to various lucrative deals on e-commerce sites, there is an increase in online shopping which also increase the risk of falling prey to cyber fraudsters. That’s why it’s important to be vigilant during this period. It is essential to create awareness among the citizens so that they do not share confidential banking data or click on unverified links. The objective of these awareness sessions is to educate participants on various modus operandi used by fraudsters and the secure banking practices that they need to follow so that they do not become victims of such online frauds.”

In the current financial year (FY24), HDFC Bank has conducted over 3,980 such session PAN India and reached out to over 42,000 participants covering various segments of the society.