PIB fact checks SBI rewards scam, warns ’never click unknown links, files’. Check details here

PIB Fact Check: The government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) has warned unsuspecting customers to be aware of a ‘SBI Rewards’ scam being used by fraudsters. In a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the PIB Fact Check account warned users “never to download unknown files or click on links”.

PIB Warns of Scam

PIB in the statement alerted users on X: “Beware‼️ Did you also receive a message asking you to download & install an APK file to redeem SBI rewards?”

“PIB Fact Check: SBI NEVER sends links or APK files over SMS / WhatsApp. Never download unknown files or click on such links,” it added.

RBI to introduce real-time AI-driven systems to check cyber fraud

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is also working on an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled solution to warn individuals about financial fraud in real-time, two sources told Mint.

As per the plan, individual banks will tap into a central bank data repository hosting information on various types of frauds and their perpetrators, and an AI-based warning system will flag suspicious transactions when they are about to be made.

To be sure, the Reserve Bank of India Innovation Hub (RBIH), an RBI subsidiary, has already developed MuleHunter AI, an artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) model to help banks and financial institutions detect so-called mule accounts used by fraudsters. The new system will, on the other hand, alert users and safeguard digital transactions.

Online Frauds on Rise

In a report, the government noted that cyber fraud cases are on the rise in India, and people are "losing lakhs" due to "sophisticated" fraudulent schemes.

Indians lost about ₹120.3 crore in ‘digital arrest’ frauds, in the first quarter of this year, according to the government data.

It noted that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launched its “International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System” last month. The two-phase system will detect and block spam international calls that falsely display Indian numbers, thus targeting a "key element" of some scam schemes.