Nagaland Police issues advisory to prevent cyber frauds, crimes

Dimapur, Oct. 20 (EMN): Nagaland Police has warned the public against various cyber frauds and crimes prevalent in the state and urged to be aware of the widespread operation of cyber fraudsters.

Superintendent of Police (Crime) & PRO, PHQ Nagaland, stated that one recent cyber crime experienced in the country and now in the state is phishing calls from scammers posing as customer care executives from Vodafone, Airtel or Jio telecom services, offering assistance for upgrading 4G SIMs to 5G to unsuspecting customers.

The fraudsters send links in the name of 5G telecom companies; and if the link is opened, there is a risk of hacking the phone.  They ask for sharing personal, banking information or one-time passwords (OTP).

Another common fraud and still frequently used by criminals are hacking of personal accounts of popular social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and use of the hacked accounts for fraudulent purposes like asking money or soliciting investments from their contact lists and siphoning money from accounts of unsuspecting victims.

Also similar to this is the 'boss or friend impersonation scam’ where fraudsters steal the identity and photos of the victims available on the internet and access the victims’ friends from websites, contact lists and send them messages asking for help in the form of money transfer, merchant cards, e-wallets etc.

Some common frauds which are still active are as follows:

1. Fake customer care calls from banks, payment apps like Google Pay, PayTm, PhonePe etc., regarding KYC update, debit card expiry and asking bank account details and OTPs after which money is withdrawn from the victims’ account.
2. Sextortion where unsuspecting male or female victims accept video calls and messages from unknown numbers and are blackmailed for money after recording and morphing  or misusing their pictures.
3. Fake lottery wins, loan or insurance sanction, scratch card coupons, investment opportunity, jobs, electricity bill etc. are also commonly used to scam innocent victims.

Nagaland Police requested the public to remain cautious and vigilant and not be duped by such scams.

“The fraudsters are experienced scammers and take extra efforts to appear genuine and operate through multiple identities, accounts, phone numbers etc.,” it read.

Citizens have been requested to maintain the following cyber security habits and practices:

1. Never click on unverified links received through SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram etc.
2. Never accept requests from strangers in social media without verification.
3. Never fall for attractive messages regarding loans, lottery, online game prizes, investment, bitcoins etc.
4. Always use official stores like Google Play or Apple Store for downloading apps. Check permissions settings for each app downloaded.
5. Use strong passwords and different passwords for different social media accounts and enable two-factor authentication. Review your social media privacy settings strictly. Avoid sharing personal information on social media.
6. Never transfer money without completely verifying the authenticity of the account, be it through bank transfer, payment apps, UPIs, e-Wallets etc.

In case of financial fraud, the public have been advised to immediately call cyber crime helpline number 1930 and register complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in.