Mumbai, July 11: Phishing can be defined as an attempt to obtain one's personal and financial information. Mostly, phishing is carried out via emails, where fraudsters lure the target into visiting the fake website and giving away confidential data. A phishing attack carried out using fake SMSs is called Smishing and fake telephone calls is called vishing. Mobile Number Starting With 140 is Fake, Don't Take Calls as You May Lose Money From Bank Accounts, Warn Mumbai Police.

The Maharashtra Cyber cell on Saturday informed citizens that a message has been circulating on social media which says that if you pick up a call starting with the number 140, all the money in your bank account will be withdrawn and the account balance will be zero. Google Chrome Extensions Prone to Hacking, Cyber Security Agency Warns Users.

Maharashtra Cyber Cell Tweet:

The cybersecurity wing of Maharashtra Police informed that telephone numbers starting with 140 are issued to telemarketers so that people can identify them. "If you get a call from a number starting with 140, don’t panic. These numbers are given for telemarketing. But keep in mind that disclosing bank details to an unknown person would result in the caller withdrawing the entire amount from the customer’s account," the Maharashtra Cyber Police said.

Maharashtra Cyber Cell Tweet:

The Cyber police warned people not to share ATM card or Debit/Credit card number to unknown persons. The police also asked citizens to not disclose any sensitive account information such as pin number, CVV or OTP to e-mails or phone calls from unknown persons.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 11, 2020 12:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).