This story is from September 6, 2017

Surge in cyber fraud after demonetization

Surge in cyber fraud after demonetization
Representative image
AHMEDABAD: Dr Jeetendra Shah, who works at Civil Hospital, was stunned to see messages on his mobile informing him of successful e-transactions worth 2.34 lakh, as he had neither initiated them nor received one-time passwords (OTPs).
Anshumali Jha, a Mumbai-based writer who had come to see his daughter in Ahmedabad, was surprised to find $918 withdrawn from his bank account.
Like Dr Shah, he too had not received OTPs and only got messages informing of successful e-transactions.
Dr Shah and Jha are not the only victims of cyber thieves, who have now devised a new modus operandi to withdraw money through e-transactions without OTPs.
“We have got about 35 complaints, in which lakhs of rupees have been withdrawn from bank accounts or credit cards without the use of OTPs,” said assistant commissioner of police (crime branch) Rajdeepsinh Zala.
Zala said police are in touch with senior officials of the banks from where money has been siphoned off.
This is the least of city police’s worries. With just one operative cyber cell, it has some 4,000 cyber crime complaints to investigate, most of which involve money withdrawn through e transactions.
“Of the 4,000 cyber crime applications of complaint, about 1,200 were lodged after demonetization was announced in November 2016. We have been able to crack a few cases and arrested about eight persons, but the complaints keep pouring in,” a senior cyber cell official said.

Cyber cell officials said an average of 35 complaints are received every day. Most relate to financial crimes. “People have to be cautious about phone calls from fraudsters and must not disclose their card numbers or the three-digit CVV number on the back of the card,” added ACP Zala.
Cyber cell officials said they are doing their bit to nab the gangs, most of which operate out from naxalism-hit areas of Jharkhand. “Our team did arrest one accused from Jharkhand recently. We are also looking for one Tiku Mandal, considered to be the kingpin of the gang, but there are a lot of concerns as we have to operate in naxalism-affected areas,” said a cyber cell official.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA