Bangalore City Cybercrime Police's advisory to curb cybercrime
Bangaluru: You may be smart in your profession or business, but a moment of carelessness with your smartphone can cost you your hard-earned money in minutes. Cybercriminals are using sophisticated techniques to trick people and steal money from their accounts.
In Bengaluru, many people fall victim to scams through attractive or threatening messages on WhatsApp, Telegram, email, and other platforms, losing significant amounts of money. In the last four months alone, over a thousand complaints have been filed about such incidents.
Filing a complaint often doesn't result in recovering the lost money. It's extremely difficult for the police to track down and apprehend these cybercriminals. The chances of recovering stolen money are slim to none.
Cybercriminals use various tactics to lure their victims. You might receive messages promising easy earnings, part-time jobs, share trading opportunities, or lottery winnings. These messages often include links. Clicking on these links can compromise your phone or computer, allowing scammers to hack your accounts and steal your money. They are also skilled at tricking you into providing one-time passwords (OTPs) to complete fraudulent transactions.
Some scammers might call you, using persuasive language to extract personal information and OTPs. Once you provide these details, your money is as good as gone. They can also use threatening messages to intimidate you into complying with their demands.
The police advise people to be vigilant and not fall for these scams. Once hackers have your details and access your account, it's almost impossible to recover the stolen funds. The cyber fraud network is vast and intricate, making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the fraud.
Ironically, well-educated professionals, including tech experts, are often the victims of these scams.
To combat this issue, the Bangalore City Cybercrime Police have launched a campaign to raise awareness about cyber fraud. They aim to educate the public on how cybercrime occurs, how cybercriminals can steal accounts without the victim's knowledge, and what precautions to take to stay safe.
Here are some key points from the cybercrime police to help protect yourself:
- Cybercrime Defined: Cybercrime involves the use of computers, networks, or electronic devices to commit offenses. It's a crime under the Information Technology Act 2000.
- Motives: Cyber crimes are usually committed to make illegal money, though some are intended to defame individuals.
- Prevention Tips: Be cautious of unsolicited messages and links, don't share personal information or OTPs with unknown callers, and stay informed about the latest cyber threats.
By staying alert and following these precautions, you can protect yourself from falling victim to cyber fraud.
Common Methods Used by Fraudsters
- Share Trading Scams
Fraudsters contact victims through WhatsApp or Telegram, promising high profits from trading. They lure people into downloading trading apps and initially provide small profits to gain trust. Once the victims deposit significant amounts of money, the fraudsters disappear with the funds.
- FedEx Courier Fraud
Scammers pose as officials from TRAI, CBI, Customs, or the police. They call victims, accusing them of criminal activity like drug involvement or money laundering, and threaten arrest. The victims are then tricked into providing bank account details and other personal information, which the fraudsters use to transfer money.
- Online Part-Time Job Scams
Victims are contacted via WhatsApp or Telegram with offers of easy part-time jobs, such as liking YouTube videos or rating hotels. After completing small tasks and receiving payments, victims are enticed to invest more money with promises of higher returns, only to be defrauded.
- Honeytrap Scams
Scammers, often posing as women, make video calls and engage in explicit conversations, recording the interaction. They then blackmail the victim by threatening to release the footage unless money is paid. The fraudsters may also impersonate officials or reporters to further intimidate the victim into paying.
- Fake Insurance Fraud
Fraudsters contact victims pretending to represent top insurance companies through websites like WhatsApp or Telegram. They offer false information and promises of high returns, convincing victims to deposit large sums of money into various accounts.
- Matrimonial Fraud
Scammers connect with victims on social media, particularly targeting divorced women. They build intimacy, propose marriage, and then claim to need money for various reasons. The victims transfer funds, believing the scammer is abroad and will soon visit them.
- OLX Fraud
Scammers create fake accounts on OLX, listing vehicles at low prices and using photos of military or high-ranking officials to appear legitimate. They claim the vehicles are at the airport and require immediate payment, deceiving victims into transferring money.
- Fake Web Link or OTP Scams
Fraudsters send links to victims, making them click under false pretenses. Once the link is clicked, they obtain OTPs and access bank accounts to transfer money. They might also send links claiming the bank account will be blocked, prompting victims to provide account details.
- Loan App Fraud
Fraudsters target individuals in urgent need of money, requesting documents like Aadhaar to provide loans. They charge exorbitant interest rates and, if payments aren't made, they harass victims by distorting their photos and sending them to their contacts. This harassment has led to some victims committing suicide due to the unbearable pressure.
When Scammers Call...
- Be Alert!
- If you receive a call promising easy money from a stranger, hang up immediately.
- If you get a threatening call from someone claiming to be a government official or police officer, hang up and report the incident to the nearest police station.
How to Be Safe
- Use Strong Passwords
- Create unique and complex passwords for all your accounts.
- Be Cautious with Websites
- Only visit reputable websites. Avoid entering personal information on unknown sites.
- Avoid Suspicious Apps
- Do not download or use apps that request personal information without verifying their legitimacy.
- Don’t Click Unknown Links
- Avoid clicking on links from unknown sources on social media or in messages.
- Keep Software Updated
- Regularly update your devices and software to protect against vulnerabilities.
What to Do Immediately if You Are Scammed
- Call the Cybercrime Helpline
- Dial 1930, a cybercrime helpline available across all states in India, to report the incident.
- File a Complaint Online
- Log into the NCRP portal to file a complaint. If the scam involves financial transactions, the related bank accounts can be frozen immediately.
By following these guidelines, you can protect yourself from falling victim to cyber scams and ensure your personal and financial information remains secure.
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Banks to clear cheques within few hours from Oct 4: RBI
Mumbai, Aug 13 (PTI): The RBI will introduce a new mechanism from October 4 for clearance of cheques within hours of being presented to banks, reducing the current time period of up to two working days.
Cheques will be scanned, presented, and passed in a few hours and on a continuous basis during business hours. The clearing cycle will be reduced from the present T+1 days to a few hours.
Cheque Truncation System (CTS) currently processes cheques with a clearing cycle of up to two working days.
To improve the efficiency of cheque clearing and reduce settlement risk for participants, and to enhance customer experience, the RBI has decided to transition CTS from the current approach of batch processing to continuous clearing with 'on-realisation-settlement'.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a circular for introduction of Continuous Clearing and Settlement on Realisation in CTS.
"It has been decided to transition CTS to continuous clearing and settlement on realisation in two phases. Phase 1 shall be implemented on October 4, 2025 and Phase 2 on January 3, 2026," it said.
There will be a single presentation session from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Cheques received by the branches shall be scanned and sent to the clearing house by the banks immediately and continuously during the presentation session, RBI said.
"For every cheque presented, the drawee bank shall generate either positive confirmation (for honoured cheques) or negative confirmation (for dishonoured cheques)," it said.
During Phase 1 (from October 4, 2025 to January 2, 2026), drawee banks will be required to confirm (positively/negatively) cheques presented on them, latest by the end of the confirmation session (7:00 PM), else those will be deemed to have been approved and included for settlement.
In Phase 2 (from January 3, 2026), the item expiry time of cheques shall be changed to T+3 clear hours.
Giving an example, the RBI said the cheques received by drawee banks between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM will have to be confirmed positively or negatively by them by 2:00 PM (3 hours from 11:00 AM).
Cheques for which confirmation is not provided by the drawee bank in the prescribed 3 hours shall be treated as deemed approved and included for settlement at 2:00 PM.
RBI further said that on completion of settlement, the clearing house will release the information of positive and negative confirmations to the presenting bank.
"The presenting bank shall process the same and release the payment to the customers immediately, but not later than 1 hour from successful settlement, subject to usual safeguards," it said.
RBI directed banks to make their customers adequately aware of the changes in the cheque clearing process.
Banks have also been asked to be in readiness to participate in continuous clearing in CTS on the prescribed dates.
