VISAKHAPATNAM: The Visakhapatnam police disclosed that, according to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, over 13,000 people in Visakhapatnam have fallen victim to cybercrime, resulting in losses amounting to approximately Rs 100 crore over the years. Of this amount, Rs 18 crore were held or frozen in various bank accounts.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the city police, headed by Commissioner Dr Shanka Brata Bagchi, Joint Commissioner Dr Kanginelli Fakkeerappa, and the cybercrime wing, have released Rs 4.6 crore of the frozen funds to 150 victims.
The world of technology has given rise to a new era of crime, where cybercriminals are employing a wide range of tactics to deceive and exploit individuals and organisations. These crimes include posing as bank employees, linking Aadhaar cards, and impersonating courier services to dupe money for fake couriers.
The rise of e-commerce and online transactions has led to an increase in phishing scams, investment frauds, and part-time job scams.
Task games and easy money schemes are also becoming increasingly popular, promising quick financial gains but delivering only financial losses. Crypto currency fraud, honey trap fraud, and fake TRAI fraud are other examples of the creative ways criminals are finding ways to part people from their hard-earned money.
The threat of cybercrime is not limited to financial loss. Identity theft, cyberstalking, the distribution of pornography, and trafficking are all serious crimes.
Despite the growing concern, many cases of cybercrime go unreported. The figures that are available are alarming, but they represent only a fraction of the actual occurrences.
“The number of cybercrimes is increasing daily, with new types of cybercrime emerging regularly. If victims report the crime promptly within one hour, the lost money can be frozen immediately. This allows us to proceed legally and return the money to the victims. The sooner it is reported, the higher the chances of freezing the funds,” stated the CP. “Freezing the money prevents it from reaching fraudsters’ accounts, allowing us to claim it from the respective bank and return it to the victims,” Dr Bagchi explained.
