KYC Update SMS Link 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. KYC Update SMS Link Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A text says your KYC has expired and your account will be blocked today. The link opens a fake form that steals your card, OTP and PIN.

What kyc update sms link scam looks like by email

• A generic greeting instead of your name.
• 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.

The scammer buys or copies a bulk SMS service and sends the same text to lakhs of numbers. The message uses the name of a large bank because most people have an account with one of them. The sender name is often a random mobile number or a header that only resembles the real one. Nobody has checked whether you even bank there. They only need a few people to believe it.

Red flags to check on the email

• It threatens to block the account today.
• The link is shortened or the domain is not the bank's exact address.
• It asks for card number, CVV, PIN or OTP on a web form.
• The greeting is 'Dear customer' with no name or last digits.
• It carries a surprise invoice, refund or legal notice.
• The sender address has an extra word or letter.

What to do

1. Do not tap the link or reply to the message.
2. Open the bank's own app, which you installed from the official store, and look for a KYC notice there.
3. If you want to check, call the number printed on your debit card or passbook.
4. Do not open the attachment and do not press the button.
5. Go to the company website by typing it yourself and check your account there.
6. Check the full sender address, not just the display name.

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 1930 at once and tell them the card or account details you entered.
2. Ask your bank, through the number on your card, to block the card and freeze net banking.
3. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots of the text and the page.
4. Change your net banking password and UPI PIN from the official app.

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

Safeavio Sentinel lets you paste or share the text and gives a plain verdict with reasons such as urgency, a threat and a request for OTP or card details. The link check looks at the address for lookalike domains and shortened links before you open it. It works only on text and links you give it, so it cannot read your inbox on its own. It also cannot recover money already sent, so use it before you tap.

Full guide: KYC Update SMS Link Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, WhatsApp.

Questions