If you receive a mail or phone call from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asking you to deposit money in the form of processing fees for availing of a lottery bonanza, don't start thanking your stars.
Instead, ignore it, because there's no chance of the persons on the other end being the real McCoy.
According to RBI regional director Jasbir Singh, fraudsters have found a new way to fleece the more gullible among the populace. Posing as RBI officials, they inform people through mail or telephone that they have chanced upon a Reserve Bank bonanza, and all they have to do to avail of it is deposit some cash in a particular bank.
Sometimes, they even issue the offers on certificates or RBI letterheads -- with authentic-looking signatures -- to make them seem genuine, he added.
"The moment the money is deposited, it is taken out... in the name of transaction tax, conversion charges or registration money," Singh said.
Sometimes, as part of their strategy to cheat the public, unscrupulous elements even impersonate RBI officials over the phone and acquire vital information such as account information and passwords from the victims, he said.
The issue came to the RBI's notice following several complaints from individuals, trusts and other entities, who fell victim to the fraudsters through various mediums, including newspapers, Singh said. PTI
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