Government Warns Of Smishing Attacks. Here's How To Stay Safe

In recent times the Indian government has been cracking down on common cybercrimes and has set up websites and helplines for victims to report cyber fraud and scams. Now, a recent warning from the Indian cyber agency is against a new scam called 'Smishing' - a malicious practice that aims to deceive and defraud people through text messages. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) asked people to "beware of smishing attacks", short for 'SMS phishing', and shared details of the new scam. The agency explained that the latest scam utilises persuasive messages to trick people into revealing personal or financial information or committing financial fraud. 

Smishing scams often masquerade as legitimate communications from trusted sources, such as banks, well-known brands or government agencies. The messages often contain a call to action requiring immediate action to avoid some sort of negative outcome, such as bank accounts being closed or a message from the tax department. "The fraudster send fraudulent malware-infected links that masquerade a legitimate app or a link that might take users to a fake site for gathering information or dropping malware," the agency warned. 

CERT-In shared some steps to avoid falling victim to smishing. Take a look below: 

• Never click on any suspicious link in SMS/social media charts or posts. 
• Use online resources to validate shortened URLs. 
• Always check the link before clicking. 
• Use updated antivirus and antimalware tools. 
• If you receive any suspicious message pretending to be from bank or institution, immediately contact the bank or institution. 
• Use a separate email account for personal online transactions. 
• Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for emails and bank accounts. 
• Keep your operating system and software updated with the latest patches. 

To report cyber fraud incidents, you call 1930 or visit CERT-In's official site - cybercrime.gov.in.