E-notice from govt office? MHA cyber wing says check Internet, call department
New Delhi (PTI): On receiving a suspicious e-notice from a government office on the email, people should check the Internet to authenticate the name of the official named in it and call the mentioned department, the Union home ministry's cyber crime unit said on Sunday.
Users should be aware of "fake emails" sent in the garb of a government e-notice, said the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in a public advertisement.
This could be a con that can make people "a victim of cyber fraud", the ad cautioned.
The I4C suggested counter-measures before clicking or responding to such emails: check if the email has originated from an authentic government website that ends with "gov.in"; check the internet for information regarding officials named in the email; and call the mentioned department to verify the email received.
Early this month, the Union finance ministry had issued a public advisory alerting email users about fraudulent e-mails bearing names, signatures, stamps and logos of Delhi Police Cyber Crime and Economic Offence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), the Intelligence Bureau and Cyber Cell of Delhi.
A letter attached to these emails, as per the advisory issued on July 4, made allegations of child pornography, pedophilia, cyber pornography, sexually explicit exhibit etc. against the receivers of the said e-mails.
The fraudsters, it said, use different e-mail addresses for sending such fake e-mails with attachment.
"Receiver of any such email should be aware about this fraudulent attempt. It is informed to the general public that any such e-mails with the attachment should not be responded to and such cases may be reported to the nearest police station/cyber police station," it said.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), an organisation under the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to deal with cyber crimes in a comprehensive manner, had issued a similar advisory in August last year cautioning users against such counterfeit emails impersonating the name of its CEO bearing subject titles like 'urgent notification' and 'court notification'.
"These misleading emails are targeted to various government offices, individuals and falsely accuse them of cyber crimes, urging them to respond," the I4C said.
The logos of I4C, IB and Delhi Police used in these emails are "intentionally fake, deceptive and created with malicious motives," it said.
Several officers in the national capital's Central Secretariat received such suspicious emails last week which were falsely stated to have been issued by a person working at "MEA Messaging Team NIC High Commission of India."
The MHA and I4C ad issued on Sunday said such suspicious emails and other types of cyber frauds should be reported immediately to www.cybercrime.gov.in or call the cyber crime helpline no 1930.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
