Mumbai, Aug 1 (KNN) Fraud emails promising millions of pounds, in return for a small processing fee and asking for the bank account details with the Reserve Bank of India seal and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan's  picture are being sent by new-age online fraudsters to con people.

However, RBI has been warning the citizens not to fall prey to the online frauds. “Of late, some new methods of frauds have come to the notice of the Reserve Bank of India.  An e-mail is sent in the name of a senior official of the Reserve Bank of India which gives an impression of it having been sent from the Reserve Bank and at times even displays the official rbi.org.in extension,” RBI said in a press release today.

The e-mail states that the Reserve Bank has received a large sum of foreign currency from the World Bank or a well-known international institution or a multi-national company for transfer of such funds to the bank account of the e-mail recipient.

The reason for such transfer cited in such e-mails is also quite convincing, such as, ‘compensation for internet and cyber-crimes and for reduction of poverty in Asian regions’. The e-mail requests for submission of personal data of the mail recipient, such as, his bank account number, mobile number and passport details for claiming the amount. The e-mail also claims that such messages are generated by the ‘Foreign Remittance Department – an Online Banking Unit of the Reserve Bank’.

Another way to defraud the susceptible public is to convince the recipient of a phone call to divulge details of the debit card to the caller who claims to be calling from the Reserve Bank. The caller states that the Reserve Bank needs details of the card including the CVV number as printed on the back of the card and also the PIN to make the card more secure. Similarly, through an email, fraudsters lead the mail recipients to a website that looks similar to the official website of the Reserve Bank of India and ask them to fill up a form with details of their bank accounts.

“The Reserve Bank of India clarifies and reiterates that it does not send any such mails or make such calls. In fact, no bank or respectable organisation asks for bank account details or details of the debit or credit cards over email or phone,” RBI said.

The phishing mail says, “The Foreign Exchange Transfer Department (RBI) hereby brings to your attention the payment of your deposited fund here in the RBI. You were listed as a beneficiary in the recent schedule for payment of the past edition email award incurred by the BRITISH GOVERNMENT, which is yet unclaimed due to some circumstance according to your file record.”

“Your payment is categorized as: Contract type: Lottery/inheritance/ Undelivered Lottery fund/ recently, on the 31th Of July 2014,” the mail adds.
 
The email promises the lucky recipient Rs 3.97 crore as his share of the 'outstanding debts' of the 'British Government' accrued between 2011 and 2013. The letter goes on to state that distribution of these outstanding debts comes at the back of a 'decision' taken in a 'meeting' held on March 21 attended by the 'RBI Governor R Rajan, United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the Senate Tax Committee on Finance of the RBI'.

The fraud mail asks the recipient to pay a sum of Rs 17,800 as processing fee to get the paperwork started to transfer the money.

The Reserve Bank of India has, on several occasions in the past, cautioned the members of public about such frauds and has urged them not to fall prey to fictitious offers/lottery winnings/remittance of cheap funds in foreign currency from abroad by so-called foreign entities/individuals or to Indian residents acting as representatives of such entities/individuals, the RBI release added. (KNN/SD)