1,020 bank accounts used for phishing attacks: Alphons

About 1,020 bank accounts in different banks were used by fraudsters to receive money from victim's bank accounts by the way of phishing as per a complaint received in November 2017, Parliament was informed today.

"As per the details shared by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), complaints were received regarding e-wallet scam involving 1,020 bank accounts in 351 bank branches of public and private sector banks (13 banks)," Minister of State for Electronics and IT K J Alphons said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

In the complaint it was alleged that about 1,020 bank accounts in different banks were used by fraudsters to receive money from victim's bank accounts through phishing, he explained.

Phishing is a form of cyber crime where the perpetrator attempts to obtain sensitive information like username, password, and credit card details, etc.

Alphons said all organisations providing digital payment services have been mandated to report cyber security incidents to CERT-In expeditiously.

"All authorised entities/banks issuing PPIs (prepaid payment instruments like cards, mobile wallets etc) in the country have been advised by CERT-In through the RBI to carry out security audit by the empanelled auditors of CERT-In on a priority basis and to take immediate steps thereafter to comply with the findings of the audit report and ensure implementation of security best practices," he said.

The minister said RBI periodically reviews the cyber security developments and the threats and takes necessary measures to strengthen the cyber resilience of banks.