Cyber criminals on prowl have been creating menace in the country since quite some time. Several individuals have fallen prey to these fraudulous activities and phishing e mails from the scammers.

Cases wherein the criminals send false e mails to public stating that they have won lottery worth a handsome amount from the RBI and the ones wherein they portray themselves as major public sector banks have been making news every now and then.

These cases of phishing have increased tremendously in the last four years.

A period between January 2006 and September 2009 has witnessed as many as 1,436 cases of fraudulent Internet money transfer cases involving Rs 15 crore.

To curb this menace, the banking regulator RBI has sought help from the Central Board of Investigation (CBI). "There has been a significant rise in the number of these mails. It is a cause for concern and needs to be addressed," H.R Khan, executive director, RBI said.

Banks have also started cautioning the public. "We never request for your personal and financial information over e-mail... Beware of fraudulent websites looking similar to PNB's Internet Banking website," PNB said.