Citizens from Madhya Pradesh have lost Rs 51.33 lakh crore to online fraud during the Covid-19 lockdown due to increased internet engagement as people looked for leisure activities, jobs and articles of daily use.
According to data by the state government, in 2020, when Covid-19 was declared, people lost Rs 11.46 crore to fraudsters online while in 2021, the amount swindled stood at Rs 26.85 crore.
A total of 1,366 persons lodged complaints of online fraud with the cyber police, amounting to loss of Rs 51.33 crore in the last five years.
Cyber crime peaks to 37% in 2020
As the physical world was crippled with lockdowns and the virus threat in 2020, cyber criminals found a golden opportunity as online crime shot up to 37% as compared to. 2019 when the crime rate was 16%. This shows that cyber crime doubled in 2020. In 2017, 170 incidents of cyber crime were reported while the number surged to 211 in 2018 with an increase of 24 per cent. The year 2021 has been no exception as the state reported 402 new cases with a rate of 19 per cent.
Cyber police clocked 68% case disposal in five years
Recording a smart disposal rate in registered cases, the cyber police in the state has lodged 3,191 cases under the IT Act over the past five years. As many as 2,191 cases have been disposed while 998 cases are under investigation. In 2021, cyber police headquarters in Bhopal registered 44 cases presenting challans in 11 cases, while 33 are under investigation.
Zonal office at Indore has lodged 32 cases, Gwalior 35, Ujjain 20 and Jabalpur 17. Police stations in Bhopal lodged the highest at 154 till December 3.
What home minister says
Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said the cyber police headquarters in Bhopal was preparing a detailed five-year plan for fighting cyber crime and for cyber security. To prevent online fraud and recovering money from online cheats, the cyber police in the state is coordinating with e-commerce companies, payment gateways and other state police.
Major fraud busted in 2019
The state recorded the biggest ever cyber fraud in 2019, the call centre scam that targeted US citizens. A total of 78 persons, including 19 women, were arrested by cyber police. The Indore unit of MP cyber cell unearthed the online scam, which involved tele callers duping US citizens. and operated by a gang from different places in the city. Fraudsters would contact US citizens by sending voice messages and then call on their mobile numbers through a special software. Tele callers would describe themselves as officers from the US social security unit and tell people that their social security number was being used for money laundering and smuggling of narcotic substances. The tele callers would use an American accent and tell them that for settling the issue they would have to pay a certain amount failing which their social security number will be blocked.
Prominent frauds in 2021
Early in June, the cyber police exposed a multicrore fraud on rich businessmen through online dating apps and the syndicate involved Pakistani and Chinese nationals. In August, Bhopal cyber police busted an interstate racket involved in duping 260 people from six states by fraudulently selling vehicles on OLX. Early this month, Bhopal cyber police busted an interstate gang that would lure youths with job promises and took their bank and ATM details only to rent them out to cyber fraud.
‘Swindlers using cashback, loan fraud and matrimonials’
Urging people to always be on high vigil while venturing into the virtual world, cyber expert Shakeel Anjum told News18.com that online cheats were emptying bank accounts with traditional methods like seeking OTP and PIN numbers while some were resorting to innovative means like befriending singles on matrimonial sites, seeking money for emergency, and then disappearing. Job seekers also get trapped by offers online where registration and consultancy fee are recovered but the promised job never materialises. Anjum said he had come across loan fraud where small loans are offered on loan apps and swindlers hacked phones of victims and later made them pay hefty sums.
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