KOCHI: Creating fake Facebook profiles and looting money from friends have become a major worry for netizens as a large number of them have fallen for the money requests by the fraudsters. Fake profiles of hundreds of social media users, including celebrities and police officers, have been created by cyber fraudsters.
With the police and cyber experts spreading awareness and taking action against the fraudsters, the number of such profiles on Facebook has started declining. There is nothing much to celebrate in this as they have started switching to Instagram accounts, which now have larger followers compared to other social media.
“Last month, someone created a fake Instagram account in my name.
The fraudster immediately started contacting my Instagram friends and requested money. Unfortunately, a few of them sent it to the account the fraudster provided them. Only when some of them called me to check, I came to know of the bogus account and the fraud. Since the photo and information the account carried were almost similar, it was difficult for my friends to identify the real profile,” said Aneesh, who is working in the United Arab Emirates.
Jiyas Jamal, cyber expert and founder of the NGO Cyber Suraksha Foundation, said, “If the fraudsters were creating fake Facebook accounts to loot money earlier, they have started the same operation on Instagram now. Creating a similar account and asking the friends of the original person to transfer money are what they mainly do. On average, we receive nearly 25 complaints from Instagram users each day. It is really a big issue now.”
According to the cyber experts, the fraudsters shifted to Instagram after the number of users started witnessing an upward trend. “If Facebook was the choice earlier, now people are mainly using Instagram. Since everyone is new to the platform, fraudsters have an easier time duping people. Most of us are yet to add our Facebook friends to our Instagram accounts. So, whenever a person gets a message from a fake account, it will be difficult for them to realise the trap behind it,” said Jince T Thomas, Assistant Commander, Cyberdome.
The cyber experts also warned social media users who have more than 10,000 followers. According to them, social media influencers are the potential targets of hackers from China, Nigeria, and Africa. “On analysing the cases, mostly men are targeted. Users should always enable the two-step verification system. Whenever they witness any fake profiles, it should be reported to Instagram immediately,” added Jince Thomas.
25 COMPLAINTS
from Instagram users are being received each day by cyber experts. They warn that social media influencers are the potential targets of hackers from China, Nigeria, and Africa. On analysing the cases, mostly men are targeted