Unrelenting online fraudsters continue to devise new tactics by the day to trap unwary victims as evidenced by a whopping 2,196 cyber fraud cases in Chandigarh in just the first four months of 2023.
The tally so far this year translates to 549 cyber crime FIRs every month. Even last year, as many as 7,313 Chandigarh residents had fallen prey to online fraudsters — over 600 each month.
Cyber crime investigators have found that fraudsters mostly employ seven scam tactics, including sextortion/harassment, online cheating through social media platforms, debit/credit card frauds, OLX scam, cheating through fake customer care numbers, sending fake SMS alerts for unpaid electricity bills and hookwinking victims by calling them about their relatives in trouble.
At 429, the cyber crime police received the maximum complaints for sextortion, wherein fraudsters make video calls to victims from anonymous numbers. As the victim answers the video call, with clips of a nude woman on the other side, the fraudsters take screenshots to eventually blackmail the victim to extort money.
Then, 271 complaints were received regarding cheating on the pretext of selling and purchasing products through social media sites. Here, the victims were also duped through attractive job and instant loan offers.
{{/usCountry}}Then, 271 complaints were received regarding cheating on the pretext of selling and purchasing products through social media sites. Here, the victims were also duped through attractive job and instant loan offers.
{{/usCountry}}The third most common fraud in Chandigarh is withdrawal of money through debit or credit cards. Here the unsuspecting victims end up losing money after clicking on fake links without checking their authenticity or sharing OTPs, giving access to fraudsters.
As many as 80 residents in the city were also duped through the OLX app fraud. According to the cyber police, the fraudsters upload pictures of furniture, vehicles, etc., on the online market place, along with their phone numbers. When the customer contacts them, they pose as army officers and narrate fake stories of being transferred to another place because of which they are selling the goods.
They further tell the victims to transfer the amount online, citing that they will transport the items to be sold using army transport. But the victims don’t receive anything and only end up losing their hard-earned money.
Fraudsters have also gone to the length of creating fake customer care links for various websites/applications. As the victims click on these links, they are asked to share the OTP or are duped through screen sharing. A total of 75 people lost money through this modus operandi.
Canada calling
Another cyber crime becoming quite prevalent in the city is victims getting calls from fraudsters impersonating as lawyers or friends of their relatives residing abroad. “The caller tells the victim that they are calling from Canada, UK, USA or Australia and mentions names of a relative of the victim residing in the same country. Raising false alarms about their relative being in legal or medical trouble, the callers ask the victims to immediately transfer money in the bank accounts to save them. They skillfully weave panic, causing the victims to transfer the money without thinking twice, only to realise they have been duped,” a senior cyber police officer said.
Despite the UT administration cautioning the public against fraudulent phone calls and SMS regarding pending electricity dues, 21 people also ended up falling prey to the fraud.
Alarming the victim with a fake alert that their power connection will be disconnected if the dues are not cleared soon, the scammers withdraw money from their bank account after sharing fraudulent links.
176 fraudsters held
Since the establishment of the Cyber Crime police station in June last year, a total of 176 swindlers have been arrested by the cyber crime team, led by SP Ketan Bansal and station house officer Ranjit Singh, till April this year.
Mainly, police nabbed 44 people who were involved in instant loan app fraud or fake app frauds, including KBC lottery application.
Police said of the total 176 accused, most belonged to Jamtara in Jharkhand, West Champaran in Bihar, Kolkata in West Bengal, Bharatpur in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
₹67 lakh salvaged
Through swift action, cyber crime police managed to salvage ₹67,27,321 this year by timely preventing fraudulent transactions with the help of banks concerned.
Moreover, police also recovered ₹25 lakh in cash, along with laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, trucks and cars from the accused arrested till April this year.
Offering a word of caution to residents, superintendent of police Ketan Bansal said, “One should be alert while responding to calls and messages from unknown contacts. Don’t get lured by lucrative offers or get threatened by artificial urgency created by fraudsters. One should immediately call 1930 in case of cyber financial fraud.”