Saturday, 04 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In view of the increase in cyber crimes originating from China, the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has issued a detailed cyber advisory to prevent people from falling victim to such scams. The advisory highlights the complex techniques used by these fraudsters to manipulate and dupe their targets. The deputy superintendent of police, cyber crime, STF, Ankush Mishra said that the modus operandi of these online scams typically begins with an unsolicited WhatsApp message which serves as the initial point of contact between scammers and their potential victims. Criminals rely on tempting offers and manipulative tactics to trick individuals into their fraudulent schemes. He said that the scam starts with a random WhatsApp message sent to a potential victim. Fraudsters share screenshots of other victims’ transactions and online activities to gain the target’s trust. Victims are asked to complete small tasks such as liking or subscribing to YouTube channels, posting Google reviews, and leaving hotel reviews. They are paid for these tasks to further increase the victim’s trust. Once the tasks are completed, victims are required to share screenshots of their activities with the criminals on WhatsApp which are later used to dupe others. Victims are then provided with more tasks to maintain their involvement in the scam. After this, victims are asked to join a Telegram channel to claim their supposed salary. Scammers get victims’ bank account details during the process. They make new fake investment offers and introduce schemes to entice victims to deposit money. After victims have invested a significant amount, the promised salary payments suddenly stop. The victims are then instructed to transfer large sums of money to random UPI IDs and bank accounts for purported withdrawal of funds. Scammers divert some of the funds to dummy or fake crypto exchanges. Due to the scam, victims suffer huge losses ranging from lakhs to crores of rupees. The DSP said that public awareness and education on online fraud tactics are quite crucial. STF is advising the public to remain alert and avoid falling victim to such scams. He asked people to report any suspicious online activity or messages to authorities immediately.
