Internet and mobile banking, credit/debit cards and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) have made banking simple and a pleasant experience. A customer, however, needs to be well-informed and vigilant all the time when dealing with these modern banking facilities.
This was the essence of a workshop on ‘Secure Banking’, organised by the HDFC Bank here on Tuesday.
Driving home the message through Circle Head of the bank R.V.G. Kulkarni said customer-initiated transactions have increased from three per cent a few years ago to 45 per cent. The Secure Banking programme was an initiative by the bank to make customers aware of the need to be careful while conducting banking transactions, be it using a cheque, transacting at ATMs, using debit and credit cards at PoS (point of sale) terminals, merchant outlets and online banking.
Customers should never reveal their PIN, password, account number to anyone, including bank personnel and officials, when they ask for them over the phone or through SMS. Referring to the RBI guidelines on use of PIN-enabled cards only at merchant establishments which came into effect from December 1, 2013, he cautioned customers against telling the merchant or anyone else their PIN but to take the machine and key the number themselves, while taking precautions that no one was watching them.
Mr. Kulkarni briefed about various aspects of safe Net banking and ATM security like not taking the help of strangers and being wary of fraudsters who could offer help and steal their identity. Loss of debit/credit card should be informed to the bank immediately via phone banking. He said the bank was conducting such workshops in all important cities and towns and was also planning to extend it to rural areas.
Cluster Head of the Bank Mylavarapu Rajasekhar said criminals were looking for new methods to defraud customers and care should be taken not to fall a prey to them.
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