Cyber Crooks Loot Rs 5.35 Crores From Three Victims In One Day

HYDERABAD: City police commissioner V. C. Sajjanar on Monday warned citizens against the trap of cyber fraudsters, stating that in a single day on Monday, three individuals fell into the trap of cyber crooks and lost a staggering Rs 5.35 crore. Sajjanar further warned citizens not to surrender to ‘digital arrest.’

He said the police machinery was constantly supporting citizens to thwart the new tactics of cybercriminals and protect their hard-earned money, and that a cybercrime-free city can only be built when citizens also act with full awareness, said Sajjanar .

He assured that cybercrimes can be effectively countered if everyone acts with minimal common sense, without falling prey to panic or unnecessary greed, and that vigilance is the biggest weapon for citizens.

Analysing the three incidents that recently came to light, Sajjanar explained the precautions citizens need to take. He stated that an accountant of a company opened an unknown zip file and transferred `2.70 crores without directly verifying fake WhatsApp messages received with the CEO’s DP was already allegedly hacked. He noted that this loss occurred because the concerned CEO failed to examine the transactions at all, even though funds were being diverted for about eight days and transaction messages were coming from the bank.

In another incident, a 72-year-old elderly woman was threatened in the name of a money laundering case, CBI, and ED, confined through a ‘Digital Arrest’ drama for 20 days, forced to even sell her gold, and swindled of `2.12 crores.

A highly educated doctor, who worked abroad and returned to the city, fell for promotions on Instagram, promising 5 to 20 percent daily profits, losing `52.51 lakhs in a fake trading app, he recalled.

Sajjanar clarified that there is no concept of ‘Digital Arrest’ anywhere in our country’s laws, and that the police department constantly alerts the public through media, social media, press meets, and advisories that no official investigative agency demands cash online.

He advised that when calls and messages are received from unknown persons using the names of high-ranking officials, they should be cross-checked directly, and family members should observe the mental state of elderly people at home and provide them with moral support.

Sajjanar suggested that banks should also play a more proactive role in protecting the interests of account holders, and strengthen systems to immediately alert account holders when suspicious transactions involving crores of rupees take place in instalments.

He recalled that through the special drive ‘Jagruth Hyderabad – Surakshit Hyderabad’ launched by the Hyderabad police department for public protection, a record number of approximately 11,417 awareness seminars were conducted in just one year, directly creating awareness among about 5.06 lakh people.

The city commissioner called upon all citizens of the city to incorporate cyber safety standards into their daily lives to protect themselves, and under no circumstances to open suspicious links or unfamiliar files.