Received message from ‘SBI’ to update your PAN card details? ‘It’s fake', says govt

The text message informed receivers that their SBI YONO account has been closed, and, to reactivate it, they need to update their PAN details with the bank.

In recent days, several people have received a message from ‘State Bank of India’ (SBI) informing them that their YONO account with the bank has been deactivated, and asking them to update their permanent account number (PAN) card details to reactivate the account. However, as expected, the message is fake, and the Union government, too, on Saturday, issued a clarification in this regard.

A State Bank of India (SBI) ATM. (Image used only for representation)

“A #Fake message issued in the name of SBI is asking customers to update their PAN number to avoid their account from getting blocked. Never respond to emails/SMS asking to share your personal or banking details,” PIB Fact Check, the central government's official Twitter handle to dispel misinformation on government policies and schemes, informed.

“SBI never asks for personal details through messages,” it added.

It also appealed to citizens to report such messages by writing an email to report.phishing@sbi.co.in, or calling on the helpline number 1930.

Meanwhile, this is what the viral text message said: " Dear Customer your SBI YONO Account Closed Today Contact now And Update your PAN NUMBER in the following link'. It also carried the ‘sender’s' name: Rajesh.

Also, that there is not a single punctuation mark in the message gives away that it is, in fact, fake.

What is SBI YONO?

YONO, which stands for 'You Only Need One', is an integrated digital platform developed by SBI. It was launched in December 2017, and enables users to access a variety of financial, as well as other services, such as bookings (flight, train, taxi), online shopping, medical bill payments etc.

The platform is available as a smartphone app for both Android and iOS devices.