Hackers deprive bank account holders of money

PESHAWAR: In an alarming development, hackers are increasingly able to withdraw money from the bank accounts after managing to obtain the password and pin code from the account holders through various tactics.

The members of the group of hackers call the local account holders, saying they are calling from the helpline of the bank and need certain information to update their account. An amount of Rs74,122 were withdrawn from the account of one Mohammad Ikram, a low-paid employee at a private company, in the Habib Bank Limited, Peshawar Saddar Branch after unknown persons called him first from a cellular phone and again from a landline with a Karachi city code.

The caller introduced himself as staff of the online banking section of the HBL and asked for his password and other details. "I was not going to believe him first but then he called from a landline, similar to the helpline of the bank. I gave him certain details when he convinced me he was calling from the online banking section. Later I came to know that Rs74,122 was withdrawn from my account in two transactions," Ikram told The News.

The complainant said he asked the authorities to get details of the owner of the cellular phone number which was registered in the name of a woman in Bahawalnagar. The complainant has filed an application with the Federal Investigation Agency to go after the gang. A couple of other persons with accounts in banks made similar complaints that callers tried to deprive them of their money kept in the bank.

One colleague of Ikram, the unfortunate man mentioned above, was deprived of Rs42,000 in a similar fashion. He too was naïve enough to provide his account's password to the fraudsters. Two other persons were smart as they refused to provide any details to the hackers.

They were aware of such fraudsters as their bank is regularly sending SMS to them and other consumers not to share any information with anyone as they will never ask for password through SMS, email or phone.