Cyber crimes rise in Hyderabad; most fall prey to debit/credit card scams

Cyber crimes are steadily increasing in the state and the lone police station to deal with such cases in Hyderabad receives an average of 10 debit/credit card fraud reports on a daily basis.

Despite repeated warnings, people from all walks of life fall prey to scam calls, say police.

Other crimes like blackmailing on social media and phony advertisements on matrimonial websites are also witnessing an increasing trend. While the Marketing Intelligence Unit of the cyber crime wing has procedures in place to monitor online advertisements, but they are ill-equipped to deal with other crimes — like cyber bullying.

Cases of hate speech, emotional assault or tracking of fake profiles are addressed only when a complaint is lodged.“We get an average of three to four such cases on a daily basis. However, women, who are most commonly abused on social media, hesitate to approach the police. Despite reiterating that their identity will be kept confidential, they are under constant fear,” says B Ramesh, SI from the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police station.

The ongoing two-day Police Expo is all about spreading awareness among the public on ways to prevent vulnerability on social media among other things.Investigation of cases taken up by the Cyber Crimes wing of the Crime Investigation Department begins after the complaint is registered. The most recent case where Movie Artists’ Association complained of obscene content of actresses and fake profiles of actors being published on social media was taken up only after it was reported. The offender Pradeep Dasari was traced in Bengaluru, from where he operated the content.

While the investigation process should remain undisclosed, the officers informed that they have ways to retrieve data and offenders will be caught even if they try tamper with it.“If a woman complains that her photos are being misused and names the offender, it is natural for him to delete any trace. We have systems in place that will help us retrieve it, legally,” said a volunteer.In the cases of social media abuse, where the offender often blackmails the victim, the social media policies become a hinderance, said Ramesh.

Though the offender is traced, sites like Facebook, for instance, does not give details of the person.