Google Maps banking scam: Here’s how you can stay safe

You might be aware that the internet has many loopholes for those who are using it with the wrong intention. But you might not have thought that Google Maps could be used to trick people. Well, Google Maps is one of the most popular navigational apps that is used by millions of people and this popularity has attracted the scammers and fraudsters as well.

Recent reports suggest that Google Maps is being used by scammers to collect the bank details of users and trick them. The app lets users edit and update the contact details of an establishment or business to make it useful for others. But this facility is being used by the fraudsters as they are changing the phone numbers of banks and replacing the same with their own numbers.

Eventually, victims who contact the banks will be connected with the scammers and end up being cheated without even realizing that there is something wrong.

Google Maps scam

As per a report by The Hindu citing the information from Maharashtra cyber police, this trend of scam has been prevailing since one month. Police officers state that if a specific branch of a bank is searched on Google, the results also show the Google Maps listing of the same. But the contact information on the page including phone number and address can be edited by anyone according to the User Generated Content policy of Google.

The report goes on stating that they have received three complaints from the Bank of India in one month. And, all these incidents have been immediately brought to light to the authorities at Google. It also cites a Google spokesperson stating that they are allowing users to suggest edits to provide an up-to-date information but there can be occasional errors and bad edits. In such situations, they do their best to address the issue quickly.

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Victim loses all his money

In this scam, a blogger has shared that his cousin lost all the money in his account. The victim tried to contact his bank to report a failed online transaction but the call was connected to a scamster who pretended to be an executive from the bank. The scammer has collected sensitive details such as card number and CVV of the user. Being eager to fix the failed transaction, the user ended up giving away all the important details and finally lost all the money in his account.

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How to stay safe from online scams

Well, if you are calling any business, then you should make sure that you verify the business first. So, the best way to do this is to get the contact number from the official website. Also, remember not to share sensitive details such as CVV of your card to anyone at any circumstance even if the person on the other end claims to be from your bank. In fact, banks too don't encourage sharing CVV with anyone.