SHILLONG: “There is an institute for ATM frauds in Gaya, Bihar, and some people have come to the North East after getting trained there,” revealed B.B. Sangma, Director, Indian Institute of Bank Management, Guwahati, during a sensitization programme on cyber crimes relating to banks here at Sadar police station on Monday.
Giving a detailed presentation on cyber crimes during the programme organized by the Reserve Bank of India in association with Meghalaya Police, Sangma said the institute runs a three-month course on ATM fraud and some people have come to the North East from there but were arrested from different parts of Assam.
Sangma’s disclosure assumes significance in view of the growing instances of ATM frauds being reported in the State as well as in other parts of the Northeastern region.
Sangma admitted that ATM frauds were on the rise and attributed them to lack of interest in following the rule of ‘one person inside ATM kiosk at one time’.
People who are withdrawing money from ATM kiosks should ensure that other people are waiting outside the kiosk for their turn and are not present inside the kiosk, he said.
He recalled an incident where a resident of Shillong had written his ATM pin on the cover of his ATM card and one day he lost the ATM card and later learnt that a whopping amount of Rs.5 lakh had been withdrawn from his account.
“People should never write their ATM pin on card covers,” he warned.
According to Sangma, miscreants have come up with new technologies to dupe people and added that it was necessary for anybody to end their transaction in the ATM kiosk by pressing the cancel button to ensure that their transaction is complete.
Speaking on the cases where people have been duped by fraudulent calls where miscreants call people posing as bank officials and seek details of their ATM cards and bank accounts, Sangma said, “People should not trust strangers over the phone.”
One of the new technologies used by miscreants include an app on their mobile through which they obtain ATM details of unsuspecting people, he said.
“A miscreant standing behind you in a queue can easily get details of your ATM through the Near Field communication,” he said.
Talking about other facets of cyber crimes, he urged youths not to open any link which might have been sent by miscreants, especially on social websites or networking sites, as there are several softwares which can allow miscreants to collect personnel details saved on computers or mobile phones.
It may be mentioned that the sensitization programme was attended by police officers, citizens and NGO members.
