HYDERABAD: Cybercrime cases against women have seen a significant increase in Telangana, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2022. The state ranked third in cybercrime against women with 1,262 cases, following Karnataka and Maharashtra.Cybercrime offences like stalking, bullying, cyber pornography, and miscellaneous cases make up the majority of cybercrime cases against women. In 2022, a total of 15,297 cybercrime cases were registered in the state.
Cyber blackmailing or threatening registered with IPC Sections 506, 503, and 384 are registered along with the IT Act for any cybercrime-related cases. A total of 23 cases were registered under these sections in 2022.There were also 14 cases registered under cyber pornography or hosting or publishing obscene sexual materials registered under 67A/67B (Girl Child) of the IT Act.
The majority of cybercrime cases against women (279) were registered under Section 354 D of the IT Act, which deals with cyberstalking or cyber bullying of a woman. Other cybercrime cases against women include cheating and frauds, such as matrimonial frauds and gift frauds. In these cases, women are being cheated to the tune of lakhs.
A senior police official said that women are specifically vulnerable to cybercrime and that conmen often target them. He also said that women who are victims of financial cybercrime often lose lakhs of rupees before they realise that they have been scammed.
Another type of cybercrime that is particularly terrifying for women is gift fraud, also known as a FedEx scam. In this scam, conmen randomly call women and pretend to be from a courier service or the police department. They tell the women that drugs have been found in a parcel addressed to them and that they need to send money to clear their name.The police officer added that women should be aware of these scams and should not be afraid to say no to the conmen. He also said that women should not hesitate to report cybercrime to the police.
Hyderabad CCS DCP K Shilpa Valli said, “If you are not paying for it, you are the product. All social media platforms use our data and personally identifiable information which we knowingly or unknowingly share on the internet. As technology or the internet is unavoidable, we have to be aware of the risks, adopt security measures, be cautious of every click we make, every iota of the data we share, be resilient when a crime occurs and report it promptly. Women and young ladies should be extra cautious when they make friends online or when they share pictures. Despite all precautions, a crime might happen, instead of feeling guilty or shameful, immediately report the crime.”