E-challan scams: Government wants you to follow these ‘important’ guidelines to prevent financial fraud

e-Challan

With the increasing trend of e-challan scams, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued some important tips to keep people safe from falling prey and ending up in financial loss.

As per a recent report by PTI, around 4400 devices have been affected by malware which has led to fraudulent transactions of around Rs 16 lakh in total. These scams have taken place using an Android malware campaign run by Vietnamese hackers and as a part of it, users receive a fake e-challan message on their WhatsApp with a fake link to make the payment. Clicking on the link grants hackers access to the device.

Things to keep in mind when making payments for e-challans

The government security agency has advised users to only make e-challan payments via the official websites. It is important to note that different states have their own e-challan website. So, make sure to use the right website before making the payment.

Verify the links

According to CERT-In, it is important to vet the links that you’ve received via SMS, social media platforms or WhatsApp before clicking on them. We advise you not to click on any such links and instead use the official websites to make the payment.

Also, copy the shortened URLs without clicking and check the original URL using online URL expanding services.

You can also hover over links to generate the website’s preview and check for spelling mistakes or other irregularities.

Avoid clicking on random links

As mentioned, it is advisable not to click on random links. This can contain malicious software which can affect your device.

Use antivirus program

Anti-virus programs can scan, detect and block such malware from infecting the device. For this, make sure that the antivirus program is updated and has the latest available database.

Report to government and law enforcement

If you’ve received such a message, the government agency advises users to report it to them. Also, if you’ve been a victim of financial fraud, then you can also register a complaint with your local police station and cybercrime portal.