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`No' to message can drain your bank account
In Short
HydERABAD CP cautions on evolving cybercrime
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Hyderabad CP Sajjanar
Hyderabad: The evolving cybercrime landscape has enabled crooks to go beyond placing embedded links by contriving ‘No’ as the situationally safe reply option in messages to hook bakras.
If you get WhatsApp messages from an unknown number seeking `No' as reply to the content in the initial messages; never reply `No'; for, if you reply No to such messages on WhatsApp, your mobile phone and bank accounts could be hacked by cyber criminals.
‘No’ as reply is the latest bait being used by cyber crooks to swindle people without getting them to click links or seeking to know their OTPs. In other words, crooks now know that many people know their tricks of clicks and OTPs. So, they have evolved.
Elaborating on this trend among cyber criminals, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar on Monday asked netizens not to reply "No" to unknown messages on WhatsApp.
"I recently came across this new type of cybercrime that even managed to defraud a Chartered Accountant. It is a highly dangerous 'auto-execution file attack' orchestrated by cybercriminals leveraging technology. First, you receive a fake message on WhatsApp from an unknown number claiming that a certain amount has been debited from your account. Immediately following that, a second message is sent inducing panic, stating: "If you did not initiate this transaction, reply 'No' immediately."
The moment you type and send 'No'—out of understandable anxiety over the bluffed loss of funds—malware scripts hidden within the message automatically get activated.
Hackers can take complete control of your mobile phone in seconds and drain all the funds from your bank accounts," Sajjanar said. So, netizens are urged that under no circumstances should they reply 'Yes' or 'No' to WhatsApp messages from unknown numbers regarding bank transactions. Do not panic or send any reply; instead, immediately block the number and delete the chat. To verify if money has indeed been deducted from your account, check directly via your official banking app; do not trust WhatsApp messages at all," Hyderabad Police Commissioner said. "No legitimate bank asks for such responses via WhatsApp. If you fall victim to this scam, do not delay; call the cyber helpline '1930' or file a complaint at http://cybercrime.gov.in immediately—within the critical 'golden hour’, Sajjanar advised people.
