Online shopping and payments peak during the festive season, and so do scams. Most of them rely on the same tricks: urgency, a too-good-to-be-true offer, and a request to share a code or install an app.
Five warning signs
- "Scan to receive money." Scanning a QR code or entering your PIN is only ever needed to pay, never to receive.
- An OTP request from a "bank" or "delivery" caller. Genuine staff do not ask for one-time passwords.
- A link with a huge discount on a famous product, especially from an unknown number or a lookalike website address.
- A request to install a screen-sharing or "support" app. These can let a stranger see and control your phone.
- Pressure. "Your account will be blocked in 10 minutes" is designed to stop you from thinking.
If you have been cheated
- Call your bank immediately and ask them to block the card or account.
- Report the fraud to the national cybercrime helpline or portal as soon as possible; speed matters.
- Keep screenshots of messages, numbers and transaction IDs.
- Change passwords for any account you may have shared details of.
"Scammers are good at stories," said cybersecurity researcher Aditi Banerjee. "The best defence is a habit: stop, hang up and check through a number you already trust."
Share these tips with older relatives, who are often targeted with calls in their own language.
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