Police alert public about misuse of mobile banking app

Kathmandu, Feb.1: The police have requested everyone to be especially careful with people who ask for cash and take citizenship and passport by showing different assurances and enticements/temptations through social media.

District Police Range, Kathmandu, has issued a special notice after cases of banking crime, and a gang of fraudster seeking different documents such as bank balance, Nepali passport, citizenship certificate before going for foreign employment, and study abroad, among others.

The Kathmandu Police has released a six-point request saying that it has received complaints of using social media by such organised group of fraudsters to publish advertisements, ask for money, take citizenship and passport from the applicants, and lastly cheat them. 

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Chief of Kathmandu Police Office Dan Bahadur Karki, said that this gang uses various social networks to entice people to deposit money into their accounts when they are bound to go abroad, and then collect citizenships and passports to proceed with the process.

According to him, it has been found that on the pretext of losing the mobile number used by the victim with the help of already collected original citizenship, they issue another SIM card with the same number of the victim and use the banking app on their mobile to access the OTP code and transfer money through mobile banking without the knowledge of the victim.

Therefore, in order to discourage such gangs, the police have made a six-point request to public and alerted the citizens.

“We have issued this notification with the aim that if the citizens are informed before the incident, it can be avoided,” SSP Karki said. 

“ Ten years ago, there were no such incidents, recently incidents have started using information and technology, and complaints are also coming to the police. We have drawn the attention of citizens in this regard,” SSP Karki said. 

In the notice issued by the police, it is instructed not to click on the same apps that you get on your mobile phone, not share the citizenship certificate, passport, e-banking, mobile banking operating numbers with unrelated people when the real identity of the person who comes in contact through social networks such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, etc. is not revealed.

When going for foreign employment or study, it is also requested to proceed with the process only through agencies licensed by the Nepal government, to keep cheque book safe and not issue cheque to other people when there is no money in the account, and check the website of the Nepal Police from time to time to get the necessary information to avoid fraud.