Ranchi: In an alarming scenario, sextortion cases in Jharkhand are rising exponentially with over 500 cases of sextortion being reported daily on an average in the state with common people, officers and even an army major being targeted by the criminals, officials said.
Officials said that the fraudsters target people through video call apps including Facebook and WhatsApp.
According to the data revealed by Cyber Crime Branch, every day in Jharkhand, cyber criminals try to defraud around 500 people by blackmailing them in sex chats on social media sites. However, out of the 500 targets, only 2 to 3 people have become victims of sextortion with the majority of the victims reporting the matter to the cyber police.
Rise in Sextortion Since Feb 2021
Sources in the Cyber Police said that the cases of sextortion started rising in February 2021. Earlier, people used to give money to cyber criminals due to fear of public shame and did not even complain to the police. But sources said that in the year 2022, cyber criminals tried to dupe an Army Major in Ranchi through sextortion. The Major showed courage and lodged an FIR in the Sadar police station of Ranchi which subsequently led to a decline in the sextortion cases, sources said.
Training on Sextortion: An official said that after Cyber police arrested one Vicky Kumar Arya during a raid in Sadar area, Arya made shocking revelations before the investigators. Cyber police sources said that during interrogation, Vicky said that in cities like Hazaribagh, Jamtara, Deoghar and Giridih of Jharkhand, cyber criminals are provided full fledged training on the methods of sextortion through various online apps.
Investigation has revealed that the cyber criminals use adult dating sites like Skoka and blackmail Internet users through sextortion. Those who have been defrauded in recent times include army majors, politicians, officers and even common people, sources said.
According to Cyber Crime Branch sources, cases of sextortion were reported in Ranchi and other districts of the state during the COVID-19 lockdown. During investigation, it was found that some cyber criminals from Haryana and Rajasthan were running a cyber criminal gang to target gullible people. Following inputs by the Jharkhand CID, many cyber criminals of the gang were arrested during raids in Haryana and Rajasthan.
According to cyber expert Rahul Kumar, the easiest way of sextortion is social media and dating sites. He said that the cyber criminals trap their victims by using Facebook, Skype or any other medium. First they create fake identities on the internet, then use beautiful boys and girls as honey traps and befriend their victims, Kumar said.
Kumar said that the cyber criminals gradually provoke their victims to perform sexual acts, change clothes and take off their clothes in front of a webcam or mobile camera and alter blackmail them by threatening to make the pictures and the videos of the acts viral.
Kumar said that it takes from 10 days to several months for these criminals to trap their victims. “Most gangs work in a very professional manner. First of all, friendship is made on the internet. Then with the consent of both, the process of changing clothes and doing sexual acts starts in front of the webcam. Later this episode turns into blackmailing,” he said.
Precautionary Measures: Cyber expert Rahul Kumar said that the only way to avoid sextortion is self-control. “If you lose your self-control by getting trapped on the internet, then it is certain that you will fall into the trap. Therefore, be patient in the initial stages of fraud, that is the most effective way to avoid such fraud,” he said.
Experts have advised to report sextortion frauds to the nearest police station or cyber crime cell. It is also recommended to alert the family members about the sextortion incidents. Besides, the ID using which you have been blackmailed on social media, should also be deleted.
