~The session was aimed to sensitize the Bank’s staff on the critical aspects of digital banking safety~

Mumbai, June 11, 2024: HDFC Bank as a part of a secure banking awareness drive, hosted a virtual fraud awareness session for the Bank’s staff. This covered various modus operandi used by fraudsters and safe digital banking practices to be followed to avoid falling prey to cyber frauds. More than 5,000 employees across the country attended this session via video conferencing facility.

The awareness session was addressed by Mr. D. Sivanandhan, IPS (Retired), Former DGP of Maharashtra & Former Police Commissioner of Mumbai. Mr. Sivanandhan shared valuable insights on types of modus operandi used by fraudsters and spoke on aspects important to bear in mind to stay vigilant. He also shared live examples on how people fell for greed, lust, fear and anger. Mr Sivanandhan cautioned the Bank employees to be vigilant and careful in order to avoid opening of fraudulent accounts, prevent misuse of banking channels for money mule, terrorist funding, cyber frauds and money laundering activities as it can have legal and reputational consequences.
Mr. Sundaresan M, Group Head – Retail Credit Strategy & Control and Mr. Manish Agrawal, Executive Vice President – Credit Intelligence and Control – HDFC Bank hosted the event and also shared case studies, educating the staff on various types of frauds like courier scam, fake police scam, fake credit scam, etc.
Commenting on this Mr. Sundaresan M said, “Today we are transacting more digitally. Hence it is important to create awareness about various modus operandi used by fraudsters and the secure banking practices that one needs to follow so that we do not become victims of online frauds. It is important to remember basics like never to click on unreliable links or give out private banking information to strangers.”

The session covered several aspects of which some important reminders included the following points to protect oneself from cyber frauds:

1. Do not click on unknown links in SMS/Email/Messages as they may be a phishing link to steal your data and money.
2. Do not download screen sharing Apps from unknown sources as this can be used to steal data from devices and install malware.
3. Do not share personal bank details like OTP, CVV, PIN, Password and Card Details with anyone. The Bank or its representatives do not ask for such personal details.
4. Do not fall prey to schemes/jobs/discounts/help offers which require a payment to be made or require you to share your personal banking credentials.
5. Do not fall for unknown calls, SMS, Email, Social Media accounts and advertisements offering rewards, investment Opportunities, Part-time jobs, commissions or easy money for task completion and remote work.

In the Financial Year 2024, HDFC Bank has conducted over 16,000 such sessions PAN India and reached out to over 2,00,000 participants covering various segments of society. These workshops are aimed at educating schools, colleges, customers, law enforcement agencies, senior citizens, Self-Help Groups, educational institutions, vendors, partners and employees, among others.

The Bank encourages customers to be cautious and adopt safe banking habits while transacting digitally and avoid sharing their confidential banking information with anyone. In case customers fall prey to online fraud, they should immediately report unauthorised transactions to the bank and get the payment mode blocked for safeguarding against future losses. Customers should also file a complaint by calling 1930 helpline number started by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and submit the complaint on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal https://cybercrime.gov.in.