148% rise in cybercrimes last year, women prime targets

T'puram: The state witnessed a significant rise in cybercrimes over the past two years, with reports indicating a 148% increase in 2023 compared to the previous year. The home department's data revealed that the number of cybercrime cases reported through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) surged from 9,619 cases in 2022 to 23,748 in 2023. By mid-2024, the total number of cases already reached 31,019, suggesting a continuing upward trend.According to the state police cyber division, the target is largely the female population, probably because the scammers feel that women are not as tech-savvy as men. In the state, the number of cyberfraud cases peaked in May-June, police sources said.The alarming statistics prompted the state police to take various measures aimed at combating these crimes. As part of their efforts, law enforcement agencies deactivated and blocked 12,658 mobile SIM cards while 14,293 devices were identified as being used by fraudsters. Additionally, 29,020 accounts, commonly referred to as ‘Mule Accounts', which are often exploited for fraudulent activities, were also deactivated.In response to the growing number of online financial fraud cases, the police have been proactive in identifying and deactivating fraudulent platforms. Through cyber patrolling, authorities shut down 18,200 websites, 537 unauthorised online loan applications, and 9,067 social media accounts, posts, and pages that were found to facilitate fraud."Till last year, the trend seen in people of the state becoming victims was through mobile applications offering small loans and the OTP fraud, which has now changed to investment fraud with each victim losing huge amounts. As high as 70% of all the cases that have come to the police this year are regarding huge money losses after joining online investment trading," SP (cyber operations) Hari Sankar said.Along with the new trend are other types of fraud like ‘law enforcement officer fraud' and ‘digital arrests'. Fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials from agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau, NIA, or the CBI and appear in a video call with the victim. The victim is convinced in such a way that the ‘officers' appear in proper uniform and even their names would be that of real officers.They would then claim that they seized a courier mailed by a terrorist group or a drug gang addressed to the victim, and the victim is now under "digital arrest." The victim would then be asked to move all the money in all his bank accounts to another account which they would claim is an "RBI account" for "verification." Once he does it, the money would be lost.To further bolster their investigative capabilities, the state police are in the process of establishing a cryptocurrency investigation centre at the Kochi Cyberdome. This initiative aims to address the complexities of fraud involving cryptocurrency transactions. A special investigation team, comprising 355 officers, is being formed to enhance the state's ability to tackle fraud that employs advanced technology.In addition to these measures, the police are developing ‘Cyberwall' projects designed to educate the public about cybercrime and promote awareness. These initiatives incorporate artificial intelligence to provide resources and tools that can help individuals protect themselves from cyber threats.Recognising the need for continuous training in the evolving field of cyber technology, the Training and Capacity Building Department trained 4,697 police officers across various ranks. This training encompasses a range of subjects pertinent to cybercrime investigation and prevention, equipping officers with the necessary skills to effectively address the challenges posed by cybercriminals.
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