Dimapur, October 20 (MExN): The Nagaland Police has urged the citizens to be alert about the various cyber frauds and crime prevalent in the state in an advisory issued on Thursday.
Advising citizens to remain vigilant and careful at all times, Superintendent of Police (Crime) & PRO, PHQ Nagaland, through a press release, stated that one recent fraud experienced in the country and now in the State is phishing calls from scammers posing as customer care executives from Vodafone/Airtel/Jio and offering assistance for upgrading 4G SIMs to 5G to unsuspecting customers.
The fraudsters send links in the name of 5G of telecom companies and when the link is opened, there is a risk of hacking the phone. They ask for sharing personal/banking information/OTPs, it said.
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/soliciting investments/bitcoins from their contact lists and siphoning money from accounts of unsuspecting victims.
Also similar to this is the 'boss/friend impersonation scam.’ where fraudsters steal identity and photos of the victims available in the internet and access the victims’ friends from websites/contact list and send them messages asking for help in the form money transfer, merchant cards, e-wallets etc, the release stated.
Similarly, it said that other common frauds which are still active include fake customer care calls from banks regarding KYC updation/Debit Card expiry and asking bank account details and OTPs after which money is withdrawn from the victims account. These fake calls can also impersonate common payment apps like Google Pay, PayTm, PhonePe etc.
“Sextortion where unsuspecting male/female victims accept video calls and messages from unknown numbers and are blackmailed for money after recording and morphing /misusing their pictures,” it added.
Fake lottery wins, loan/insurance sanction, scratch card coupons, investment opportunity, jobs, electricity bill etc., are also commonly used to scam innocent victims, according to the police.
Accordingly, the 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 said.
Maintain strict cyber security habits
In the advisory, the police requested citizens to maintain strict cyber security habits and practices such as using strong passwords and different passwords for different social media accounts and enable two-factor authentication. Review your social media privacy settings strictly and avoid sharing personal information on social media, it advised.
It also asked citizens not to click on unverified links received through SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram etc or accept request from strangers on social media without verification.
Never fall for attractive messages regarding loans, lottery, online game prizes, investment, bitcoins etc., and always use official stores like Google Play/App Store for downloading apps. Check permissions settings for each app downloaded, it added.
It also advised citizens not to transfer money without completely verifying authenticity of the account, be it through bank transfer, payment apps, UPIs, e-Wallets etc.
In case of a financial fraud, public are to immediately call cyber crime Helpline Number 1930 and register complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in, it added.
