As the digital revolution continues to grow, cyber crime is also on the rise. Hackers and cyber criminals are deceiving people by tricking and defrauding them of large sums of money while they are at home. They are able to steal money from bank accounts without even needing the OTP. There has been a rapid increase in cyber crime arrests in recent times. Cyber criminals often pose as bank officials, police officers, or representatives of central agencies to call and threaten people into giving them money. By the time the victim realizes what is happening, they have already lost large sums of money. A recent incident in Jaipur involved a female bank officer being extorted of Rs 17 lakh in this manner.
What is cyber security?
The internet has become an essential part of our daily lives, changing how we communicate, socialize, share information, play games, and shop. It has a significant impact on many aspects of our everyday activities. Education plays a crucial role in spreading awareness about preventing cyber-crimes, emphasizing the potential for students to contribute to creating a cyber-secure environment. Cyberspace allows us to connect virtually with millions of online users worldwide. As the use of cyberspace continues to grow, cybercrimes, particularly those targeting women and children, such as cyber stalking, cyber bullying, cyber harassment, child pornography, and explicit content, are also on the rise.
Between January and April 2024, Indian citizens suffered losses exceeding Rs 1,750 crore due to cybercriminal activities. Over 740,000 complaints were lodged on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, reporting these losses.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) reported that in May 2024, an average of 7,000 cybercrime complaints were recorded daily, showing a significant surge of 113.7 percent compared to the period between 2021 and 2023, and a 60.9 percent increase from 2022 to 2023.
What is Digital Arrest?
Digital arrest is a new method used by cyber criminals to take people hostage. They impersonate law enforcement officers and claim that serious charges have been filed against the victim. These criminals gather personal information about their targets and then use it to intimidate and manipulate them. This form of digital kidnapping keeps the victim under the criminal's control for an extended period. As a result, the victim complies with the criminal's demands out of fear. Digital arrest refers to the situation where an individual, despite being in their own home, is under the mental and digital control of someone else.
Case Study: Jaipur's bank manager was held hostage
On June 20, a bank manager living in Mahesh Nagar, Jaipur, received a call from a cybercriminal. The caller introduced himself as an officer of the Telecom Regulatory Authority and claimed that a SIM card linked to her Aadhaar card was being used for illegal activities. The woman bank manager was shocked to hear this. Meanwhile, another person claiming to be a Mumbai Police officer called and told her to download a video and join a video call to avoid arrest. The cybercriminal kept her on a video call for about five hours and coerced her into transferring Rs 17 lakh from her FD account to his account to avoid arrest.
Cases have come up in Jaipur and Jodhpur
According to cyber experts, a few months ago, a case was reported at the Mahamandir police station in Jodhpur. A cybercriminal posing as a police officer called a woman and informed her that a rape case had been filed against her son. By threatening the woman with arrest, the criminal coerced her into transferring about one lakh rupees. Similarly, in Jaipur, a person was contacted and money was extorted by threatening to file a case against his daughter and have her arrested. Cyber fraudsters engage people in lengthy conversations before defrauding them.
Last month, on May 8, Prayagraj Police apprehended four cyber swindlers and uncovered a major digital extortion case. These culprits had coerced a sum of Rs 1.48 crore from a female victim.
As per the authorities, the fraudsters initially contacted the woman, masquerading as a customs inspector, and informed her about a package under her name at the airport containing narcotics. Subsequently, another individual, claiming to be a DCP, called and issued threats of arrest.
Surprisingly, the cyber criminals confined the elderly woman Kakoli Das Gupta in her own residence for three days. They threatened her, coercing her to remain indoors. Due to fear, she remained confined to the same room for three days and continued to transfer funds to the account number provided by the criminals.
Mumbai Case study- A 73 years old man was kept hostage
On May 5th at 10:00 a.m., a 73-year-old man, a resident of Indira Nagar and a retired MNC executive, received a call from someone claiming to be an executive of FedEx logistics. The caller shared details of Aadhar and mobile numbers and informed the man that a parcel sent in his name to Taiwan contained 5 passports, a laptop, 3 kg of clothes, and 150 grams of MDMA. The caller said that a case had been registered against him at Andheri East cyber Police Station in Mumbai.
The caller transferred the call to a supposed police officer from Andheri, who told the man that he was under digital arrest until they completed an investigation. The man was instructed not to step out of his house and to lock himself in a room. Later, the man received a video call with a background that resembled a police station. The man believed that he was talking to real cops. He was told that it was a high-profile and sensitive case involving VIPs. He was warned not to discuss the call with anyone and was threatened with legal consequences.
After promising to refund the man and verify the transactions, the fraudsters got the man to transfer money in multiple transactions to a Bank of India account. Only when the fraudsters stopped communicating did the man realize that he had been taken advantage of. In total, he lost a whopping 3.8 crore rupees.
Caution is necessary - Biju George Joseph
Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph says that nowadays new methods of cyber fraud are coming to the fore. People should act wisely. If someone calls posing as a police officer, then information should be given to the concerned police station. Joseph said that if you have not committed any crime, then there is no need to be afraid. One should not fall into the trap of those who scare you with arrest by lying. Do not download any app on your mobile on someone's behest, otherwise all the information about you will go to the other person. After this, they can also see the OTP and withdraw money from the account. To avoid such incidents, caution is most important.
Similarly, Kuldeep Kumar Jain, DGP East, said that a man filed a complaint on May 18. In 2 days, they were able to freeze rupees 900000. The case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and IPC section 420. He said that people should not believe in claims of digital arrest, online virtual investigation, and the police force. If anyone receives such calls, they should immediately connect and report to the nearest police station or call the 1930 cyber helpline number. In case of loss, one should approach the police immediately, as any delay in filing a complaint will affect the recovery process.
Prevention and precaution-
Here are some of the ways though which on can save themselves from such getting caught in such cases-
- Use strong Password
- Secure your computer
- Secure your mobile device
- Install latest operating system updates
- Protect your data
- Secure your wireless network
- Protect your E-Identity
- Call the right person for help
- Avoid being scammed