KOCHI: The recent swindling of Rs 25,000 from the official account of the Thiruvananthapuram commissioner’s office sums up 2023, as cyber crime and online cheating have spiked even as authorities look to come to terms with new and evolving modus operandi. More alarmingly, the year also saw the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI)-backed deepfake technology by fraudsters.
There were 2,478 cyber cases registered till October this year, a threefold jump compared with 773 in 2022, according to data with Kerala police. In 2021, 626 cases were reported.
Financial fraud, defamation and circulation of misinformation are the primary cyber crimes reported in the state, say experts. “Fraud involving AI technology would be the biggest challenge for regulators and enforcement agencies in the coming years. In many countries, besides creating videos of friends or relatives using deepfake, fraudsters hack emails and other social media accounts of targets simultaneously. Subsequently, the potential victim will get a mail or WhatsApp message saying that the contact number of the video caller has been changed. This will be followed by a call from that number, just to win their trust. The possibility of such fraud being reported here is high,” warns Jiyas Jamal, cyber-law expert and founder of Cyber Suraksha Foundation.
Radhakrishnan lost Rs 40,000 in July in an online fraud operated from Gujarat. The Kozhikode native was cheated using a video created using deepfake. He received a video call and the person on the call resembled a former colleague in Andhra Pradesh. The caller also mentioned the names of some of their common friends. Radhakrishnan sent the amount online. But, he became suspicious when the same person sought another Rs 35,000. He subsequently contacted the former colleague and realised that he had been cheated. He reported the matter to police, who managed to recover the money.
Loan app scams were another trend reported this year. ‘Instant loan apps’ which are not recognised by RBI get access to the phone’s contact list and gallery once installed. In many cases, fraudsters sent nude photos of those failing to repay loans, disbursed at high interest rates, to friends and relatives. Though the images turn out to be fake, people still fall for the blackmail. Reports of frozen bank accounts of traders have came from various part of the state following stringent measures adopted by investigative agencies. Officers said fraudsters divert the swindled money to hundreds of other bank accounts within minutes, making it very hard to track the money trail. And, victims are left to bear the burden.
ADGP Manoj Abraham, emeritus head of Cyberdome, said online fraud using AI technology is growing in the state and the department is providing adequate training to officers to combat the trend. “We have already commenced training to equip officers to tackle this kind of crime. Currently, 30 of our officers are taking part in a training programme in Bhopal, with 30 others in Bengaluru,” he added.
Police have adapted to the rising challenge by initiating the registration of cyber cases in all stations in the state. Previously, cases under the IT Act were exclusively handled by cyber crime police stations. “At this juncture, training will be provided to more officers,” the ADGP added.