Government awares citizens on digital safety

The cyber safety and cybersecurity awareness division of the Ministry of Home Affairs is warning users to not install any payments apps from any links they may have received over email, SMS or social media. Any new e-wallet or mobile payments app on smartphone can be installed by visiting the official Google Play or iOS app stores.

There is a high possibility of phishing attacks if one is downloading payments apps from unknown links. Fraudsters can create a fake app or website that may look like popular services like Paytm, PhonePe and others. Fraudsters may steal the banking information and wallet passwords from these fake apps.

“Always verify and install authentic e-wallet apps directly from the app store (Google/ iOS Store) on the smartphone. Do not install e-wallet apps via links shared over email, SMS or social media,” as per the official tweet from CyberDost handle of the government.

It also warned people to not click on any links provided in suspicious emails even if they look genuine as this may lead you to malicious websites. Phishing scams are on the rise and fraudsters are trying new ways to cheat gullible internet users.

For scammers, phishing happens to be the one of the most popular go-to tools. It offers anonymity, it's easy, costs less and it is not technically a scam. It simply involves tracking victim behaviour and tricking them into revealing critical personal information. A well-planned phishing scam can even make startups lose their funding money.

Any message that the user get via email, WhatsApp, SMS that comes with a link should ring alarm bells in their mind. Be it click to login to Facebook or the bank account or click to see this cute abandoned puppy image or click to download this new movie, whenever a message requests the user to click on something just don’t do it blindly.