Railway Board cautions employees about cyber fraudsters posing as officials to obtain bank details

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) The Railway Board has cautioned its employees against being entrapped by cyber criminals who have contacted some junior staff through calls and WhatsApp messages posing as senior officials to obtain their personal and financial details with the intent to defraud them.

The Board asserted that no railway official is authorised to seek bank details, passwords or any confidential information through phone calls, SMS or social media, and said that any suspicious call or message should be immediately reported to the police cyber cell and the administrative office concerned.

"It has come to notice that certain cyber fraudsters are making fake phone calls and sending SMS/WhatsApp messages in the name of Railway officials, seeking personal and financial details on the pretext of PPO updates, KYC verification, additional pension benefits, etc," the Railway Board said in a press statement.

Cautioning employees, especially pensioners, the Board said, "Railways do not send links or messages for updating PPO or service records. No Railway official is authorised to seek bank details, OTPs, passwords, or any confidential information through phone calls, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media." The statement advised pensioners to remain vigilant and also sensitise their family members in this regard.

"Any suspicious call or message should be immediately reported to the Police Cyber Cell and the concerned administrative office," it added.

Officials said that in the recent past, many employees have become victims of cyber fraud after they divulged crucial details to fraudsters and lost their hard-earned money. PTI JP RT RT