Is your money safe? Bank ATM fraud cost these people Rs 9 lakh; this is how

In the most recent case of fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts that embroiled a Canara Bank unit in Kolkata, as many as 37 customers became victims, according to an official. "So far, 37 customers in our branch have complained of fraudulent withdrawals from their saving accounts.

Despite all banks issuing instructions to the contrary, people who have bank accounts keep losing their money to bank ATM fraud. Image source: Reuters

Despite all banks issuing instructions to the contrary, people who have bank accounts keep losing their money to bank ATM fraud. The fault lies in the fact that these bank account holders give out sensitive details like bank account numbers, credit card or debit card numbers and even PIN numbers to fraud call centre employees who quickly steal the money from them. This big mistake cost these people Rs 9 lakh!

In the most recent case of fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts that embroiled a Canara Bank unit in Kolkata, as many as 37 customers became victims, according to an official. "So far, 37 customers in our branch have complained of fraudulent withdrawals from their saving accounts. The total amount of fraudulent withdrawal is more than Rs 9 lakh," this was revealed by Gariahat branch manager of Canara Banks in South Kolkata told PTI.

'The fraud was not restricted just to this branch. 5 other branches of Canara Bank in Kolkata also complained about unauthorised transactions in their accounts in the police complaints that they lodged.

This Is How The Fraud Happened
Suspicion is centred around skimming devices planted on some bank ATM machines. When these account holders went to these ATMs, their credit card or debit card details were somehow availed by the fraudsters. These criminals then withdrew the amounts. In the complaints, it was revealed that amounts ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 40,000 were debited by fraudsters.

However, police also revealed that they are also probing whether this is a case of hacking of the bank's servers.
"We are talking to the Canara Bank authorities to check whether their main server was hacked. It also needs to be identified whether the people who lost their money used ATMs," Kolkata Police said.

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How To Protect Your Money
When bank account holders go to bank ATMs to withdraw money, they should hide their credit card or debit card from others. They should not ask for help from anyone. They should also not reveal the sensitive PIN number to anyone. Also, while punching in the PIN number, hide the numbers by shielding your fingers with the palm of the other hand. Also, check whether there are any other skimming machines in the bank ATM machine where you insert the card and punch in the PIN.

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