Last updated on December 19, 2024

Names and places mentioned herein are hypothetical.

Prasad was working for the navy and wanted to activate online banking for his new bank account. Since it was difficult for him to get leave to go to the bank and ask about this option, he was looking for a way to do this. One day, he saw an advertisement on Facebook about “online banking facilities.”

Prasad contacted the person who posted the ad.

Prasad: Hi, I want to activate online banking for my XXX Bank account.

Advertiser: Yes, I can help. Can you please send me your account number and a scanned copy of your NIC?

Prasad sent the requested details along with his NIC.

Things moved on, and Prasad got busy with work. Two days after getting his salary, he received a message from his bank saying that Rs. 45,000/- had been withdrawn from his account. Prasad was surprised because he hadn’t made any transactions recently. He was confused and told his roommate about it. His roommate advised him to contact Hithawathi.

Prasad called Hithawathi and explained what had happened. Hithawathi told him that banks never make advertisements like that, especially in an unofficial way. Since, it was a scam, Hithawathi asked him to take a note of the evidence (the links of the advertisement with relevant screenshots) and reach out to the Computer Crime Investigation Division (CCID). Additionally, Hithawathi advised Prasad to contact XXX Bank and inform them about the scam. Prasad thanked Hithawathi for the guidance provided.

Precaution tips:

  • If you need any assistance with banking matters, please contact the relevant bank, and they will guide you.
  • Do not share your personal information or documents (like NIC, address, etc.) with strangers as they will be misused.
  • Report any suspicious advertisements on social media that claim to be from a trusted organization as there is a lot of fake content. Make sure to call the organization directly and inform them.
  • Contact Hithawathi for guidance to report fraudulent posts on social media platforms like Facebook.
  • If you have evidence (like correct links or screenshots) of a cybercrime, you can send the complaint to the CID. It can be mailed to “The Director, Criminal Investigation Department, Colombo 01” by registered post, or emailed to dir.ccid@police.gov.lk / report@cid.police.gov.lk.