‘Nearly 700 people fall prey to cyber crimes in Delhi daily’
NEW DELHI: Every day at least 700 people are falling prey to cyber frauds in the national capital alone and the menace has exploded in the last 18 months with most of the crimes resulting from ignorance, greed and fear of the victims, DCP of Cyber Crime Cell said on Friday.
The cyber helpline number 1930 receives, on average, 55,000 to 60,000 calls per month or 1,700 per day, of which 700 to 800 are new complaints, every day, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, which is also called Cyber Crime unit) Hemant Tiwari said in an interaction with PTI editors at the agency’s headquarters here.
The numbers which are for Delhi alone suggest that the problem may be far more grim nationwide.
“These calls are related to mostly financial and other miscellaneous frauds. In fact, out of these 700 calls, 200-250 pertain to financial frauds. The cyber criminals usually feed on three things -- ignorance, greed and fear of the victim. Traditional crimes like cheating and theft have now transcended into the cyber space,” the officer said.
Citing an example, Tiwari said police recently investigated a case where a man ended up losing Rs 22 crore just because he wanted to double his investment.
The other calls pertain to sextortion, digital arrest, matrimonial website frauds and cheating on the pretext of offering work from home opportunities.
Tiwari, who also has an MBBS degree and once worked as a junior resident in the MCD-run Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, said scamsters also send out emails to victims saying they have been found scanning child pornography websites and action will be taken against them by law enforcement agencies. In probing multiple such cases, the unit has been successful in making 180 arrests.
The Delhi Police has investigated financial frauds worth over Rs 500 crore from January this year till now, while the IFSO unit is investigating frauds worth Rs 200 crore.
Tiwari explained that the unit specifically investigates cases where the stolen amount is Rs 50 lakh or above. Apart from the IFSO unit, each police district has one cyber unit.
“Cyber criminals enjoy anonymity, making it less likely they’ll be caught compared to a chain snatcher who fears apprehension. Cyber crimes lack the same social impact and public awareness. What should you do if conned online?
The Ministry of Home Affairs and RBI have created the 1930 helpline. Reporting immediately can increase the chances of recovering your money by blocking the transaction within 24 hours. If 1930 is unreachable, contact the 112 emergency helpline or your nearest police station,” the
officer said. with agency inputs
