Complex passwords could save you a tonne of trouble

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Trust a conman to teach you a few things about getting scammed. A front-page report in this paper revealed how a thief, who used to steal ATM cards, guessed personal identification numbers (PINs) and withdrew money from different accounts.

The crux of the report was that using your birth date as an ATM password could cost you. The Andheri police recently arrested a 33-year-old man for stealing ATM cards and using the cardholders' birth dates, obtained from social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to guess their ATM passwords. The accused successfully withdrew money from three different bank accounts using this method.

The thief stole wallets containing Aadhaar and PAN cards, from which he extracted the victims' birth dates. Using these dates as potential ATM PINs, he attempted withdrawals three times daily at various ATMs. If the PIN matched the birth date, it was a jackpot for the thief allowing him to withdraw money.

The police have urged the public to avoid using easily guessed PINs to protect their accounts from fraudsters.

One also has to commit the PIN to memory, or jot it down in a diary or notepad in a secure place at home, which only you can access. If one has registered a mobile number with one's bank for card transactions, this is a huge help overall, as it is the first alert that something may be wrong and one can take action fast.

Cyber police, too, have often highlighted the essence of time, stating that complaining quickly means a higher chance of getting back your money.

Finally, through the news, keep abreast of new techniques conmen are using to hack or divest you of your money. The point of being up to speed is spotting a pattern or being alert to a trend you have been cautioned against. If you have an easily guessable PIN, now is the time to change it.