Cyberattacks once targeted large organisations and government systems exclusively. Today hackers can target anyone, at any time, using phishing links, stolen passwords, impersonation calls, malicious apps, and fake social media accounts. Over time, as Indians have adopted UPI, e-commerce, cloud services, and social networks, taking care of your digital security has shifted from an occasional necessity to a daily routine.
What’s important to remember:
Indian government bodies have issued alerts over hijacked social media accounts spanning “common citizens, celebrities to government and media organisations.” Here’s the good news. Adopting these simple best practices can significantly reduce your chances of being the next victim.
Tips to keep your personal information secure:
Have a strong password for every important account, and consider using a password manager to keep track of them all. Enable two- factor authentication on your email, social media accounts, cloud storage, and banking apps. Treat your email account like your master key to the rest of your online presence: keep your password recovery information up to date, and review your “last logged in devices” frequently. Think twice before sending your Aadhaar number, PAN card, bank statements, or other forms of ID to someone or uploading them to a questionable website or platform.
Tips to stay secure while using UPI:
- Your UPI PIN is not shared with anyone — friends, family, your bank customer care executive.
- Avoid transactions over public Wi- Fi.
- Remember that no one, not even businesses, will ever need your UPI PIN to send you money. So if anyone asks you to scan a QR code and enter your PIN as a “refund,” “ rebate,” or “reward,” it’s a scam.
- Double-check the payee name before you confirm every UPI transaction, and only download UPI apps from official app stores.
Secure Your Social Accounts
Don’t click links promising verification badges, job offers, or urgent account recovery. Review app permissions regularly, tighten your privacy settings, and avoid posting travel plans or personal documents publicly.
What To Do If You’ve Been Hacked or Duped Into Giving Away Your Password
- Immediately reset your password and log out of all unknown devices.
- Notify your contacts if you suspect they may have been contacted by someone impersonating you.
- Report the incident to your bank if you lost money and call India’s cybercrime reporting number (1930) or file a complaint on India’s cybercrime reporting portal.
Developing healthy digital habits is something we can all do to fight back against cybercrime. Take a moment to think before you click on that unsolicited link in your inbox. When sending money, double-check you’re using the correct PAYEE. And if anyone snaps at you for not sharing your password with them, walk away. They don’t deserve your information.
