SAMBALPUR: As digital banking and financial transactions have gained more currency, there has been a proportionate increase in cyber crimes, posing a new challenge for police in the region. The Sambalpur cyber police station, which deals with cyber crimes across nine districts, has been witnessing a surge in complaints since its inception in 2018. So far the police station has registered 56 cases of which 12 were lodged in 2018, 20 in 2019 and 24 so far this year.
IIC of the police station Tarabati Pradhan said, “Lately, most of the cases are related to financial fraud which take place due to lack of awareness among people. Despite our attempts to sensitise people on various types of cyber crime, people still fall into the trap of fraudsters.” In most cases, the criminals were found to be operating from other states through virtual networks. Over the years, several uncommon online frauds have come to fore which makes tracing the criminals a tough task, she said.
Sambalpur SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said even as new types of cyber crimes are being reported almost everyday, the personnel of cyber police station are being kept updated with training on frequent intervals.
He said the common cyber crimes reported these days are financial scam through fake social media accounts, ATM skimming and phishing. In all such cases, the awareness of victims has a major role to play. In the majority of cases, the money can be reverted if the matter is reported within 24 hours. “However people often wait for a long time before reporting the crime and this delays the course of legal action,” said Singh.
While the cyber police station here takes up probe into frauds to the tune of over `3 lakh, the general police stations probe the rest of the cases. In order to make reporting of cyber frauds easier, the police have launched a helpline number 8458002950. “Moreover, we are also creating awareness among people through social media platforms. However, people themselves need to be aware of the frauds,” the SP said.