Kochi: The Kochi City Police has warned people, especially those having accounts with State Bank of India, to remain vigilant against fraudulent calls seeking debit card information with the caller claiming the enquiry was being made in the wake of associate banks merging with it. Four complaints in this regard were lodged with the Eloor Police alone with the victims losing lakhs of rupees.
"The caller will first say their ATM card and the bank account were blocked due to the merger, and then demand its 16-digit number, besides the three-digit CVV (card verification value) on the reverse side citing the same is required for restoring the card. They would also ask the mobile numbers of family members for 'confirmation purpose'," said sub-inspector A. L. Abhilash. The cops even suspect the role of employees of banks as they would tell the customers the official address they provided to the bank.
Minutes after giving the debit card details, the victims would be shocked to find their money withdrawn through online purchases. "The bank officials will never ask the details on the phone, and one should not share the debit card or account details through mediums like phone," he said. As per the complaints, the callers would also offer to "prove credit cards" by making a payment of '400 saying that they could make purchases up to '25 lakh.
