Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal urges customers to remain vigilant against cyber frauds

Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal has cautioned his customers upon the rising cases of cyber frauds which has become frequent due to surge in online transactions in the post Covid era.

In an email outreach to subscribers, Gopal Vittal has urged users to remain vigilant about the calls made to the by cyber-fraudsters posing as an Airtel executive on the pretext of updating his Know Your Customer (KYC) form and duping them. He has also elaborated upon the common instances of fraud like Fake UPI handles/website and Fake OTPs and listed down the precautions, every customer should take to safeguard themselves from the fraudsters.

His letter further elaborates upon the modus operandi for fake UPI handles/website and fake OTPs and listed down the precautions, every customer should take to safeguard themselves.

Gopal Vittal said, “The customers can get call or message from the fraudster claiming to be from a bank/financial institution and asks for account details or an OTP to unblock/renew the existing bank account. The details are then used to withdraw money from the customer’s bank account. I urge you therefore to pay heed and proceed with care and do not to share any financial or personal information like customer ID, MPIN, OTP etc over the phone.”

On the similar lines he cautioned the users about the fake UPI apps and ecommerce websites which appear authentic in design through the usage of NPCI, BHIM words and logos. He said “If a customer download one of these, he will be asked to enter all his bank details as well as his MPIN thereby granting the fraudster in question complete access to your bank details. Please avoid such suspicious websites and apps and avoid sharing any confidential information via email or through a click on any suspicious link in the email, even if the request seems to be from authorities like the Income Tax Department, Visa, or MasterCard, etc.”

Vittal also suggested using ‘Airtel Safe Pay’ describing it as a ”very sound way” to avoid fraud. Airtel Safe Pay is the safest method of paying online in the country and provides an additional layer of security for every transaction, he said. “Before you make a payment, our network intelligence throws up a message asking you to confirm the transaction. And the money only leaves your account once we have received your approval, thereby ensuring you are not vulnerable to fraudsters,” he wrote.