With reference to the report, "Phone frauds gain traction" (October 5), it must serve as an eye-opener for us in the wake of increasing instances of 'telephonic frauds'. With the advancement of information technology, cyber crimes are gaining serious proportions. The latest fraudulent technique, 'vishing', has made inroads into our houses, offices, places of entertainment, shopping complexes etc. But the manner in which banking frauds are freely taking place through unsuspecting yet dubious calls ought to make us cautious and alert - more so, when such incidents usually do get reported in the media. Too much reliance on 'bankng at your doorstep' may sometimes prove counterproductive.
Yet most of us continue to have a casual approach and remain largely indifferent to incidents of 'vishing'. How many of us are careful not to disclose our PIN while using the ATM -whether it is at a bank's onsite outlet or an offsite one? Are we watchful when offering our credit cards to the salesman to make payments at petrol bunks? Or, at shopping malls or hotels as we remain occupied elsewhere? This apart, in our quest to remain 'visible' on Facebook, we let out our personal details, because of which we might be caught on the wrong foot some unfortunate day.
While cyber crimes are the handiwork of tricksters and people with fraudulent intentions, in most cases we can blame none but ourselves for our lackadaiscal attitude. It's time to be vigilant, alert and conscious. Safety always saves.
Kumar Gupt Panchkula
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