SBI uses viral 'Binod' trend to warn against online frauds

NEW DELHI: The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has issued a warning against online frauds while using a viral 'Binod' trend. Taking it to micro-blogging site Twitter, SBI wrote: "Only if everyone behaved like #Binod when online, there would be lesser fraud reports."
The lender also shared an illustrative image with a message that reads as: "This is Binod. Binod likes sharing his own name on Social Media, not his bank details.Be like Binod."

The viral trend has been used as an alert by many others over the recent past to stay safe from cyber crimes.
Few days back, mobile payments and financial services company Paytm had also posted a message using the Binod hashtag. "Binod is smart. Be like #Binod," the company tweeted mentioning that Paytm KYC (Know Your Customer) can never be done with any app.

The above tweet was a response to a user requesting Paytm to change its name on the micro-blogging platform. To which, Paytm responded and wrote: "Done".
This warning against cyber crimes has not been limited to just banks and companies. Following the trend, some police departments also issued the same along with using 'Binod' trend.
The official Twitter handle of Mumbai Police stated: "Dear #binod, we hope your name is not your online password. It’s pretty viral, change it now! #OnlineSafety."

Jaipur Police took a step further and explained 'Binod': "What is #BINOD? B - Buckle up the seat belt before driving; I - Inform Police about any suspicious activity; N - Never drink and drive; O - Obey COVID guidelines; D - Dial 100 for any help or assistance."

The trend 'Binod' started from a single comment on a YouTube video. In the video, some of the strangest comments received which got users' likes was discussed. Then it was found that a user 'Binod' had commented just 'Binod' (first name) in the comment section that gained likes. And, hence the trend began, not only on Twitter but also on other social media platforms.