International Transaction Alert Scam by email

How it looks by email, the red flags and what to do.

Email is slower than SMS, so these scams usually pretend to be a bill, a refund, an account lock or a job offer and ask you to log in or open a file. International Transaction Alert Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A message says your card was used abroad for a large payment and gives a number to call. The 'dispute desk' asks for your OTP or card details.

What international transaction alert scam looks like by email

• A login page that opens from the email and asks for your password and OTP.
• A sender address that is almost, but not exactly, the real domain.
• A button that says "Verify account" or "View invoice".

The scammer sends a message that looks like an alert from a bank, with a made-up amount in a foreign currency and a merchant name that sounds real. It does not use your name. It says that the transaction will be completed in a short time unless you call or reply. A number or link is given for the 'dispute team' to stop it.

Red flags to check on the email

• An SMS about a foreign payment gives a number to call.
• The alert does not use your name or last card digits.
• The caller asks for card details and an OTP to 'cancel' it.
• You are told that hanging up lets the payment go through.
• Hover over the link: the address does not match the company website.
• The email asks you to log in through the link rather than through the official app.

What to do

1. Do not call the number in the SMS.
2. Check recent transactions in your bank's official app.
3. Call your bank on the number on the back of your card if you are worried.
4. If you typed a password on the page, change it at once and turn on two-step verification.
5. Do not open the attachment and do not press the button.
6. Go to the company website by typing it yourself and check your account there.

Use Report phishing in your email app. If money or accounts are affected, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call your bank on the number on your card and block the card at once.
2. Call 1930 and give the transaction time and amount.
3. Uninstall any support app you installed and change banking passwords.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the SMS and call details.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's scam check reviews the SMS you paste and shows reasons such as urgency, a money alarm and OTP asks, and Money Shield reminds you that no one needs your OTP to cancel a payment. It does not read your messages on its own and cannot tell whether a real charge exists, so check your bank's app and call the number on your card.

Full guide: International Transaction Alert Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, phone call, WhatsApp.

Questions