Stay Safe from Cyber Threats
Greetings Investors!
We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Along with staying indoors, it is also essential to remain vigilant of suspicious and fraudulent activities.
While at Groww we are committed to ensuring the safety and protection of your information, it is crucial to exercise caution while exchanging information online. Here are some dos and don’ts you can follow to protect your privacy.
Be Aware of Phishing Scams
The Internet is full of fraudsters looking to scam innocent people by setting phishing (fake websites) that are very similar to the login pages of investment or trading platforms.
Often links that require you to make some sort of payment are sent out to unsuspecting investors via SMS, email, social media, and the contact information is misused.
Believing the sites are genuine, many investors enter their personal information like OTP, password, pin, personal information, bank details, etc.
This information gets captured and is then misused by miscreants to operate accounts and execute transactions remotely.
If you have received any suspicious calls/email communication from our end, here’s what we would like to tell you:-
Groww Will Never Contact You to Ask for
- Sensitive information, such as PIN/password/OTP.
- Installation of any remote view application like AnyDesk or TeamViewer in the name of completing KYC or any such process.
- Any confidential information related to UPI PIN/Debit card number/Debit card PIN/Net banking password/Net banking User ID
- Requests to make transactions /open new bank accounts etc
If you receive any communication – SMS, email, or call asking you to log in to any website, which is not https://groww.in, please do not click on the link or share your login credentials. Please report immediately at our help center, and we will ensure strict action is taken in this regard.
As an extension to our request, here are things you can do to ensure maximum protection against information misuse:-
- Do not share critical information like Groww password, PIN, OTP, transaction ID, folio number, etc. with anyone over the phone, Internet or otherwise
- Ensure your password is strong- use special characters/numbers.
- Update/Change Groww account passwords/PIN at regular intervals.
- Keep checking your Groww portfolio/dashboard, account statements regularly to ensure all transactions are proper. Report if you notice a purchase that you may not have initiated and raise concern over discrepancies.
- Do not store sensitive information like your bank account details, Groww PIN/Password, etc. on your phone/computer or any device that is not password protected or is shared among multiple people.
- Be cautious while making transactions using public WiFi. Instead, use mobile data or a secured network.
- Never respond to agents/callers who say they are Groww representatives and offer to make investments on your behalf or give investment tips etc. Please raise the issue with us immediately as Groww would never send such a communication.
Additional Tips To Protect Your Data
You may have noticed, when you download an app, there are certain ‘ permissions’ the app asks you for. These include but are not limited to access to your contact information, gallery, location etc. Granting such apps also makes your data susceptible to misuse. Here are a few things to be mindful of when it comes to app usage to protect yourself from possible data intrusion.
- Keep your smartphone’s operating system software updated as well as set your auto-update for your apps. and app updated. This is because app developers release the updated versions in case they come across vulnerabilities and hence it makes sense for you to use the latest fixed version as well.
- Download apps from credible sources only like Playstore or iOS App Store and not third party links/locations as such apps do not undergo stringent verification procedures.
- Do a background check of the app you are downloading. See for how long the app has been available in the market. Check things like app reviews, ratings, whether the app has a proper description, etc before downloading.
- Be mindful of app permissions. Check whether the permissions the app is asking for are relevant to its use. For instance, a simple budgeting app does not require access to your contacts or locations. However, if it asks for such information, then it is a red flag. Also notice any changes in your phone’s behaviour after you download the app like battery behavior, speed etc. A drastic change in the performance of your device after you download an app shows a great deal about the quality of the app.
- Do not use the same passwords for all apps. Also avoid using the same password for multiple accounts so that you are not compromised during a data breach. Whenever possible, use two-factor authentication.
Stay Safe!