COVID Crime On The Rise - Lockdown Has Seen Spike In Online Scams By Cyber Frauds
Recently a man looked to order booze online worth Rs 4500 and ended up sharing his card details. The result? He was cheated of Rs 82,500. But this is not an isolated incident. A retired Army General was cheated a couple of months back of Rs 10.50 lakh. Thankfully he got his money back, as per a report in TOI.
The lockdown has seen online scams go on the rise and it is scary and sad.
Sadly these are not isolated incidents and they keep on continuing. Let's take a look:
1. Cheated big time
Recently a man looked to order booze online worth Rs 4500 and ended up sharing his card details. The result? He was cheated of Rs 82,500. But this is not an isolated incident. A retired Army General was cheated a couple of months back of Rs 10.50 lakh. Thankfully he got his money back, as per a report in TOI.
2. Fake donation
Another man sent Rs 5100 to what he thought was a donation for COVID warriors. But after he sent the cash and got no notification, he realised he had been duped, according to India Today.
3. Cyber crooks cheat a man of Rs 95,000 for medicines
A man from Ajmer who was attempting to get medicines for his mother suffering from mucormycosis was cheated of Rs 95,000 by cyber frauds on the pretext of providing him the required medicines, as per TNN.
4. Fraudsters cheat 2 youngsters of Rs 59,000 after they were lured to become male escorts
In separate incidents, two youths, both residents of Gujarat¡¯s Ahmedabad, were allegedly cheated out of their money after being lured to become male escorts. One of the victims lost Rs 16,500 while the other lost around Rs 42,500, as per TNN.
5. Man dupes people on social media on the pretext of providing oxygen and COVID vaccines
A man in Kapurthala allegedly decided to profit amid the COVID-19 crisis and took advantage took advantage of the increased demand for resources in Chandigarh. The man allegedly duped several people on social media by promising them to provide oxygen and COVID-19 vaccines, as per TNN.
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Now these may look like isolated incidents, but they are not. Truth be told, ever since India went into a lockdown on March 25, the rise in online scams by cyber frauds has been high. In fact when Narendra Modi announced the PM CARES Fund, several similar websites found their way online, say certain sources.
According to Delhi Police cyber cell officials, around 80 fake UPI IDs were created at that time.
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There has also been a sharp increase in online activity in general as many people spend time on the web when confined to their homes. This has given rise to several hackers and cyber criminals to lookout for the right type of target and give them tempting offers. Truth be told, people want an easy way to access something during lockdown and that results in them falling prey to such scams.
To be brutally honest, cyber criminals are good at what they do and they have gotten bolder due to the lockdown. It has provided them with more options to exploit and despite the cyber police being on the lookout, they have pulled off some big heists.
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As of now, we are not going back to normal anytime soon and until we do, even if we do for that matter, cyber criminals shall still be there to pounce on the given chance they can make some easy money. So the best thing to do in this situation is to be alert, never share information without verification and of course not venture into tempting offers as they may well be a trap.
Catching these criminals is really tough as they could be miles away while duping the public. So the best thing to do is be vigilant. Coronavirus is enough to deal with, nobody wants an extra headache.
