Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh witnessed a whopping Rs 293 crore looted through cyber deceptions in six months, which amounts to Rs 1.62 crore a day, underlining the exponential rise in the number of digital fraud instances.
The New Age Crimes: Digital Arrests, Fraudulent Calls and More
Cybercriminals employ various tactics to lure vulnerable victims. Such trickeries include:
Impersonation Scams: Crooksters impersonating officials from CBI, ED, or Narcotics Control Bureau, threatening victims with digital arrests for their 'involvement' in money laundering or drug trafficking, are coerced into transferring humongous sums of money under the pretence of clearing their name.
Courier and Parcel Threats: Fraudsters often claim parcels in the victim's name contain drugs or illegal weapons, using fear psychosis to extort money.
Banking Frauds: Fake calls from banks seeking sensitive information like CVV and OTP numbers under the guise of upgrading debit or credit card KYC, leading to emptied accounts.
Other Scams: UPI fraud, phishing, fake crypto investments, black trading, e-KYC scams, and misuse of nude video calls are also on the rise.
A Sharp Increase in Cybercrimes
An average of 4,000 people per month knock on the door of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), which functions under the Union Home Ministry. A significant 25,000 calls were made to I4C between June and November from Andhra Pradesh alone.
While robberies and thefts cost victims Rs. 79.5 crore during the same period, cybercrimes-related losses stand 3.5 times higher. Recovering the duped amount is significantly harder than from physical crimes given the secrecy and dark method espoused by fraudsters. So far, only Rs. 3.50 crore or 1.1 per cent of the reported amount of Rs. 293 crore that was fraudulently stolen was recovered and Rs. 44 crore was frozen before being completely siphoned off.
Follow these safety tips to safeguard against cyber fraud:
- Be wary of calls from supposed officials of Customs, CBI, ED, or Narcotics Control Bureau.
- Ignore threats about "digital arrests" or drugs in parcels.
- No investigative agency conducts inquiries via video calls.
- Do not disclose bank details or transfer money based on unsolicited calls.
- Block repeat scam calls and report the numbers.
If You Fall Prey to Scamsters:
- Call 1930 to report cybercrime incidents.
- Register complaints on the National Cybercrime Portal managed by the Union Home Ministry.
- Visit local or cybercrime police stations to file a report.
Compared to last year, cases of cybercrimes in Andhra Pradesh have surged with losses jumping from Rs. 374 crore in 2023 to Rs. 293 crore in six months of 2024. As our digital footprint expands, so does the risk, necessitating round-the-clock vigilance and prompt action to combat these evolving crimes.
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