Cybercrooks overtake traditional thieves, steal Rs 16 cr from Vizagites in 2022

Visakhapatnam: As criminals are becoming increasingly tech-savvy and coming up with innovative ways to dupe people, cops are at a loss on how to tackle them. As a result, cyber offences in Vizag and other parts of the state are increasing at an alarming rate, with new-age cybercrooks stealing property worth a whopping Rs. 16 crores from Vizagites in 2022.

In a major change in theft trend, perpetrators have made way more money from the denizens of Vizag city by sneaking into their online accounts than houses and commercial establishments.

According to the Vizag city police, traditional thieves (burglars, dacoits, and robbers) have been stealing less than that cybercrooks in Vizag city for the past few years.

95% surge in online offences from 2021

Vizag city recorded 596 cases of cyber crimes (from January to 13 December) in 2022, with over a 95% surge in such offences over the previous year (2021). The cyber crooks had stolen over Rs. 9.24 crore from Vizagites in 307 cases in 2021.

Among the complaints filed in 2022, crimes related to part-time jobs (76 cases), Google search customer care numbers (69 cases), KYC update link (55 cases), and cryptocurrency (4 cases) take the lead in terms of people losing huge amounts. The property lost through offline property offences have been slowly decreasing in the city. But the property lost through online crimes have been increasing. The increased plundering of amounts online has indicated that police will deal with different types of crimes in the coming days.

Rs. 5 cr lost to crypto currency frauds

Inspector of cybercrimes police station, Vizag, K. Bhavani Prasad, said the recent trends of cybercrimes have duped over 600 people in Vizag city in 2022. The cybercrooks plundered more amount (around Rs. 5 crore) in complaints related to crypto currency, with the accused demanding money for purchase of currencies such as Bitcoin and others that are never supplied to victims, he added.

Greed is one of the main causes for people falling prey to cybercrimes despite extensive exposure of its dangers. The increase in cases can be attributed to the easy accessibility of digital platforms for which the pandemic has provided a different platform. Technically smart people with no proper jobs and financial savvy end up committing these virtual frauds. "We have been on the job to identify and nab the accused who operate the crimes from various parts of the country and globe," Bhavani Prasad added.

When a monetary fraud is reported within a few hours of the crime having been committed, the chances to freeze or retrieve the stolen money are greater. This period is called the golden hour during which transactions are frozen and money is recovered from the payment gateway. People have to understand the latest trends of cybercrimes so that they do not fall prey to the crimes, the police added.

KEY POINTS

· Vizag city registered 596 cybercrimes in 2022 and the number may go up.

· Vizag police arrested over 25 cybercrooks in 2021.

· The police arrested 475 cybercrooks, including nine females, in 2020 in Andhra Pradesh.

· Nine cybercrook were convicted in 2020.

· In 2022, the police managed to arrest cybercrooks involved in instant loan apps frauds in Vizag.

· Cyber fraudsters have been calling people posing as bank employees and cheating them.

· KYC can only be conducted at authorized KYC points or by an authorized representative at the customer doorstep.