Beware of Online Scam and Learn About Cybersecurity Alert

 

Cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit and defraud consumers. And mind it, this is happening everyday. While internet and online platforms have eased our life, this is the most negative result of it. There are masterminds trying to misguide you and get away with your hard earned money. Thus, one must be alert at all times. The fraudsters make spoof websites that use the same logo as the website and dupe you in a very smart way. As a result, the incidence of platform fraud is on the rise in India.

Fraudsters have made online fraud their means of income. They have teams who are trained to do this. They gang up and talk to you into sweetly. And you click on their baits. Not everyone is a tech savvy, and thus, they fall prey to such misdoings. The report says that 57 percent of all fraud in India happens via online platforms. The report describes ‘platform fraud’ as those that happen via an online platform such as fraud associated with social media, enterprise, and e-commerce.

Most of the fraudsters in India have high-tech support from their end. But, the reason for his success in India is that the public is not aware of these things. And also one does not how to seek help in such cases. What do you do when you fall in such kind of situation. It cannot be denied that cyber crime cells are helping victims in a big way in recovering stolen money, especially since most crimes are being reported within 24 hours of their occurrence. But, how will those cases be redressed, about which information could not be given within 24 hours due to some unavoidable reason as also ignorance of the public? After all, that too must be redressed. And why not curb the rise of these fraud website? Who is keeping an eye on them?

A TRUE STORY OF FINANCIAL SCAM

An year ago, I became a victim of fraud and I did not realize that I was falling prey to this fraud till Rs.81888/- (Eighty One Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight) was withdrawn from my account. I had to go to Gorakhpur on the same day this incident took place and I had a reservation in Humsafar train. I informed the bank immediately and got my account blocked. However, due to lack of time and plans which could not be altered, I was unable to inform the cybercrime within 24 hours.  My daughter did file it online and I could take it up only after two or three days and submit the application to the police station after returning from the trip. It's been a year since that incident, but no one from the concerned police station called me with an update. Call it my bad luck or the inaction of the police department. This is a matter to consider.

To make the readers aware, I would like to mention this incident which not only caused me financial loss but also the mental agony. What I went through that day is unspeakable. It can only be felt. Last year, I had to go to Solan for some special reason for two days and for this, I booked a hotel in Solan from the booking.com site and did not pay any advance for it. I have received the booking confirmation mail. And I was relieved. About a week before the scheduled date of reaching Solan, I called the hotel reception to confirm the hotel reservation. I came to know that there was no reservation in my name for the scheduled dates and no intimation was given to them from booking.com.

Sine the trip dates were coming close, I wanted to be sure of the booking. I googled booking.com site and called on the available number. A lady picked up the call and assured me that she would help me with the reservation. I did not doubt her in any way. In this sequence, she handed over the phone to her male colleague. The man said that if you pay in advance online, then the reservation will be done in that hotel immediately. Then, he asked to download something and I kept doing the same. It must have been hardly five minutes; a total of Eighty One Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight rupees were withdrawn from my account in three installments. That was the moment, when I suddenly realized that I had been cheated and quickly switched off my mobile.

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FAKE WEBSITES 

After some time, when I switched on my mobile, I got several calls from him to give him my bank account number. He assured me that he would return my money. There was no truth in his words. Had he been given the bank account number, he could have emptied the entire account. All this happened because of the fake website of booking.com. and my negligence. 

 I would like to mention here to the readers that many fake websites have been put up on Google. Now, it is extremely important that if you open any website, then you must find out whether this website is correct or not. Especially, the contact numbers given on such websites are being found to be fake. Also, do not share your pin code or any details with anyone. And never download anything or share your screen. They have ways and means to use that pin and take your money. They know how to sweet-talk to you. And you actually make their job easier by providing them the asked details. 

Eventually, I had to cancel my journey to Solan and get my rail reservation canceled. It was a big blow for me. For a few days, I was afraid to open the website. I was too scared to call the numbers given on the websites. The saddest thing is that even after so many days no one from the police department or the cyber cell approached me for investigation. The Police are one of the most ubiquitous organizations of the society. 

The policemen are the most visible representatives of the government. The police force of the respective state of India in which the offense has been committed are considered to be primarily responsible for the investigation of crimes. An investigation must be carried out by the procedure provided in the CrPC. The Economic Offence Wing is a specialized unit set up within the police force to prevent, detect, and investigate economic crimes, including corporate fraud. 

But, what happened in this case, and how the police handled it; I still do not know anything about it. This is thought-provoking. The government should take full responsibility for this sort of money scam and the loss of money. This becomes the moral responsibility of the government.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN CASE OF FINANCIAL FRAUD

This type of incident should not happen to anyone else, for this, he/she should take care of the following things, which I am saying based on my own experience:

1. Never share your pins and do not download anything
2. Protect your personal information.
3. Be sure if the site is real. Check twice
4. Do not share your screen on desktop, laptop or mobile
5. If any amount is withdrawn, call the bank immediately
6. Ask them to block the account.
7. Report the incident to Cyber Crime without any delay.
8. Inform it in the concerned police station.
9. Do your best to know what to do and what not to do.
10. Be alert for suspicious behavior.
11. Web spoofers make common mistakes in their attempts to cheat. Make every effort to identify them.
12. Web spoofers make spelling and grammar mistakes in emails or websites to deceive others into believing them to be correct. Do your best to identify it.
13. Experienced spoofers often try to copy the graphic design of a website as closely as possible. But you better be able to distinguish between the real and the fake.

OTHER KEY POINTS

There are a few other key points that can be taken care of:

1. Look at the URL.
2. Check for an SSL certificate
3. Make sure the domain matches the SSL certificate.
4. Avoid clicking mysterious links and attachments in e-mails.
5. Use a spam filter.
6. Use bookmarks for frequently visited pages.
7. Search URLs manually.
8. Use an anti-virus program.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

New research from cyber security firm Kaspersky Labs reveals that over half the victims of financial cybercrime are struggling to recover the lost money. The demand for cyber security has reached its peak. Cyber crimes now represent more than one percent of the GDP of our country. It's a good thing that as cyber-attacks increase, more and more companies are hiring ethical hackers to thwart cybercriminals. 

The report states that in 2022, more than 14 lakh incidents related to cyber security were registered across the country, which was three times more than in 2021. Cyber attacks are one of the biggest global challenges today and finding a permanent solution is the need of the hour.

Of late, the Central Government has made a big decision regarding the SIM card. It is commendable that the government has taken cognizance of increasing cyber frauds very fast across the country. To put a curb on this, the government has taken the right decision to blacklist about 67,000 SIM card dealers throughout the country. Along with this, to prevent forgery, the government has made the police verification of the SIM card dealer necessary. Certainly, it is a big move towards it, but it is not enough. The government is expected to take more steps to curb financial scams in the following manner so that this type of incident does not happen in the future again:

• The government should launch a new National Fraud Squad to expedite investigations.
• Make fraud a priority for police forces through strategic policing.
• The working system of the police should be reviewed and it should be further improved on the strategic front.
• Police should be thoroughly trained in digital skills so that they can further develop their capabilities in combating fraud.
• If necessary, more significant structural reforms should be made in the police system.

Last but not least, when the police are not successful in finding a solution to the financial crime and the victim is not able to recover the amount from any other sources, so in such a situation, governments should compensate it and a separate fund should be created for such payments so that people's confidence can be restored. Governments around the world have significantly advanced anti-money laundering laws and monitoring and surveillance systems of financial transactions, but we are still far behind. The government should take serious note of it and evolve a permanent mechanism for redressal of the public grievances.

 

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