TN Police warn of phishing links using Cyrillic characters

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Police has warned the public to be wary of phishing links that use Cyrillic characters that look nearly identical to Latin characters in URLs to deceive unsuspecting users, targeting users of banking and other financial institution websites.

"For instance, citibank.com is the legitimate Citibank website. Similarly, maybank2u.com is the genuine website for Maybank. The fraudulent site will feature the "a" replaced by a Cyrillic character, mimicking the appearance of the correct URL but leading to a malicious page, " an official release said.

Fraudsters rely on these subtle differences to trick people into visiting phishing sites, where they may unknowingly provide login credentials, financial details, or other personal information.

In an advisory to the public, Tamil Nadu Police's Cyber Crime wing appealed to carefully inspect URLs of websites and look closely for any unusual characters, particularly in letters such as "a, " "o, " and "e, " which fraudsters often manipulate using Cyrillic characters.

"Avoid Clicking on Links in Suspicious Emails or Texts: If you receive an unexpected email or text with a link, do not click it directly.

Beware of QR Codes. Do not scan QR codes from emails or messages unless you have verified the source. Fraudulent QR codes can lead to malicious websites designed to steal your data, " an official release stated.

Public are advised to contact banks directly in case of receiving an email claiming to be from your bank or a trusted organisation and not trust the contact details provided within the email itself.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of similar fraudulent activity or have come across any suspicious activity, it is crucial to take immediate action. Report the incident by dialing Cyber Crime Tollfree Helpline No 1930 or register a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in