Beware of fake RBI websites. Here's how
Dear readers, beware. Several fake Reserve Bank of India (RBI) websites are up on the web. They look a lot like the original, but they are not. They ask you for crucial personal details including your name, contact number, email id and bank account details. Do not yield. Though RBI issued a notice on Thursday to raise awareness, here's how you can distinguish fakes.
RBI's real website never asks for customer details
RBI has just one official website: www.rbi.org.in. You may find several other online portals such as www.rbi.org, www.rbi.in and www.indiareserveban.org. There are all bogus. RBI doesn't hold individual accounts of people. It therefore never asks for personal information because it doesn't need it. So, if you are on an RBI website that requests to you fill in your details, know that it's not genuine.
'Don't respond to emails requesting fund transfer, bank account details'
The central bank in its notification said: "The Reserve Bank cautions members of public that responding online on such (fake) websites could result in compromising crucial personal information that may be misused to cause financial and other loss." It also asked users to not take emails seriously, asking for fund transfer or bank account details on the pretext of lotteries and job offers.
Fake RBI mobile app
This is hardly the first time that citizens are being conned in the name of RBI. In 2015, a mobile app had surfaced to allegedly help customers check their bank-balance. With an RBI logo, it was titled "All Bank Balance Enquiry No" and had multiple banks and their contact information listed. The RBI had to issue a statement to warn customers of the fraud.
