Kashmir police's cyber crime branch saves Rs 13 lakh from online scams

Kashmir police's cybercrime branch saved Rs 13 lakhs which could have been lost to cybercrimes, said the police.

The Cyber Police Kashmir stated that they are receiving complaints regarding various online frauds, scams, and other cyber-related crimes on a routine basis. During the past one month, Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar received multiple complaints wherein complainants have been duped by fraudsters in OTP and UPI frauds, the police said in a press statement on Tuesday.

It stated that in one incident, a complainant was duped of Rs 2.00 lakhs through UPI scam stating that he wanted to seek a refund for the cancellation of his ticket. As he was struggling to find a customer care number and obtained a number from the Google search results. He immediately received call back and was told that the refund amount could be transferred immediately via Google Pay and he would have to download a mobile application called Team Viewer Quick Support on his cell phone.

Following the steps of fraudster, the victim immediately downloaded the app on his cell phone. The fraudster also directed him to open his banking app and taking control of his cell phone through Team Viewer Quick Support app withdrew an amount of Rs 2.00 lakhs from his bank account. The victim after realizing that he has been trapped in a cyber fraud immediately reported the fraud to Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar. Acting swiftly, Cyber Police Kashmir with strenuous efforts were able to save the amount of the victim.

The police told that in OTP frauds multiple complaints were received regarding phishing (OTP) scams wherein the complainants got hoax phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be officers from the bank. These fraudsters convinced the complainants and informed them that their debit cards have been blocked and are due for renewal.

In order to renew the debit cards, the complainants were asked to share the card details along with 6-digits OTP received on their cell phones. The victims having no knowledge about these scams shared their card details along with OTP due to which an amount of Rs 11.00 lakhs were deducted from their bank accounts.

The complainants contacted the Cyber Police Kashmir immediately and with their help, the amount of Rs 11.00 lakhs was blocked and refunded back into the complainants' accounts.

The press statement also read, "Amidst COVID-19 pandemic when the public is dependent on cyber platforms, the vulnerability of getting trapped into cyber scams/frauds gets increased. General public is advised to refrain from downloading any remote access apps like Team viewer quick support, Anydesk App, etc. or dialing fake helpline or customer care numbers found on Google search engine. These legitimate apps are remote software tool, which provides the third party a complete hold of the users' cell phones/computer."

The cybercrime branch also advised the public to be aware of these latest scams and not to fall prey to these fraudsters.

"If you or your family member gets Corona positive, you may receive a fraud call from cybercriminals that Covid-19 help will be provided, moreover fraudsters may also ask for an advance payment and promise to provide an oxygen cylinder via home delivery, vaccines etc," said the Kashmir police.

( With inputs from ANI )

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