Kolkata: In an attempt to spread awareness about cybercrimes, the cyber cell of Kolkata Police (KP) has started sharing short advertisements — carrying the names of victims, the nature of online crime they fell prey to and the total monetary loss they suffered — on its social media accounts.This is an initiative of sharing real-life experiences of cyber victims from Kolkata.“The monetary loss needs to be highlighted to showcase how these crimes are rampant.This will also encourage other victims to come forward and report their cases to us (police),” said an officer.DC (cyber) Atul Vishwanathan said the aim was also to establish direct contact with the netizens.“We are also sharing a caution note with the real life examples.We want the audience to engage and find out for themselves how the fellow citizens got duped.This will create awareness,” he said.Sources in the cyber cell said that the real names of the victims are being masked, whenever there is any such request.The advertisements are published both in Bengali and English.
“Rohit Sen of Kolkata lost Rs 43 lakh when he joined a Telegram group to write reviews,” one of these posts read.The cautionary note stated, “Do not respond to any message which promises earning money easily, sitting at home.”“Suresh Roy of Kolkata was duped of Rs 4.45 lakh when he scanned a QR code sent from an unknown person,” stated another such post.The caution along with the post stated, “Do not scan QR code sent from an unknown person.” The advertisements have become popular already.In barely six hours after the advertisements were posted, they garnered over 250 shares.A user, Amit Sau, shared screenshots of how he was asked to write reviews of a random restaurant to earn Rs 200 each time.“I did not respond and I think so should you,” he wrote.Jolted by the multiple cases of fraud across apps, social networking sites and e-commerce sites post the pandemic, the police have also prepared a list of nine new-age modus operandi used by cyber frauds and have advised specific advisories against each of those.The cops have plans to come up with interactive videos and Q & A’s on new-age cybercrimes on the social media.We also published the following articles recentlyCyber police take to social media to caution against WFH scamsKolkata Police cyber cell warns citizens about work-from-home (WFH) cyber scams on social media platforms and street crossings.Cyber cell lodges 15 FIRs related to WFH frauds, with total arrests crossing 15 in the past 90 days.
Losses estimated to be above Rs 3 crore.WFH fraud accounts for one in four cyber crimes in the city.Citizens advised not to share personal information or engage in financial transactions with fraudulent job offers.Multiple ways to avoid being trapped by organized gangs, including not entertaining unsolicited messages and avoiding promises of high investment returns.106587584Anjali Patil becomes victim to cyber fraud, loses more than Rs 5 lakh to imposter posing as a police officerActress Anjali Patil fell prey to a cyber scam where she was deceived of Rs 5.79 lakh by an imposter pretending to be a Mumbai Police Branch officer and an employee of FedEx Courier Company.
The fraudulent individuals falsely asserted that narcotics were discovered in a parcel intended for Taiwan, leading to financial loss for Anjali.
They further convinced her that her bank account was linked to money laundering.Anjali has now become a victim of the cyber scam, and FedEx has released an official statement advising individuals to be cautious and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities.106494784Cyber awareness campaign reaches S Kol college, cops focus on AI, share safety tipsThe annual students week celebration at Asutosh College in Kolkata turned into a cyber-awareness programme where police shared tips on safe use of social media platforms and protecting oneself from cyber crooks.The south division cyber cell presented the harmful impact of AI and the risks of Sharenting.
They also discussed new age crimes such as sextortion, crypto currency fraud, fake bookings, and job frauds.Students were advised not to take loans from unregistered apps and to be cautious while downloading games or software.Over 200 students participated in the seminar.106499030.
