Sri Lanka Police has issued a public advisory urging people to protect banking and other sensitive financial information from online scammers.
Police warned that criminals can exploit digital communications and careless disclosure of account information to gain access to people's money.
The public has been advised never to disclose ATM PINs, banking passwords or one-time passwords (OTPs) to other people.
Police stressed that banks do not ask customers to disclose these confidential credentials.
Protect OTPs and card information
People should not disclose OTPs received on their mobile phones because these codes can provide access to financial transactions and accounts.
Police also advised card users to ensure transactions are carried out in their presence rather than allowing cards to be taken away unnecessarily at shops or restaurants.
The CVV security number printed on a payment card should also be kept confidential.
Customers were further advised to activate SMS or other transaction alerts so that unexpected deductions can be detected quickly.
Preventive warning
The Police advisory is a preventive public-safety warning.
It should not be presented as evidence of a newly quantified nationwide fraud epidemic or a specific new financial-loss total because no such verified figure accompanies the advisory.
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