Mysuru cyber crime police say they receive around six complaints every day

Despite the awareness efforts of the police and banks, many people continue to fall prey to cyber fraud and fake lottery scams. So much so that the cyber crime police receive five to six complaints every day.

K.R. Kanthraj, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime Department, Mysuru, identified fake lottery scams and phishing as the most common complaints received by the Cyber Crime Police Station, which covers five districts — Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Mysuru.

It is a well-known fact that the alerts people receive, by email or SMS, claiming that they have won an unexpected “lottery” or “jackpot” are almost always fake. But many continue to bite the bait. The fraudsters behind this type of crime, after convincing their victims that their “lucky mobile number” had won a staggering sum of money, invariably ask them to deposit a few thousand rupees in a bank in order to clear certain hurdles for the release of the lottery amount.

“Many people fall victim and pay in the hope of receiving a large sum. The fraudsters do not stop after receiving the money from their victims once. They continue to extract money till the victims realise they have been taken for a ride,” Mr. Kanthraj said.

He cited the example of a man from Javagal, Hassan district, who remitted a total of Rs. 13 lakh in five or six instalments in the hope of receiving a large donation to build a temple.

Mr. Kanthraj said the victim had made an appeal for donation to construct a temple and had given his mobile number to prospective donors. Fraudsters got hold of his number and lured him with the promise of a huge sum as donation. “He refused to heed to the advice given by the bank authorities. He realised his mistake only after losing Rs. 13 lakh,” he said.

Phishing

Similarly, many lose money from their bank accounts to phishing.

Fraudsters, believed to be operating from Jharkhand, Bihar and other north Indian States, obtain sensitive information relating to their victim’s bank account, and then transfer money from the said bank account to pay their bills.

The fraudsters, who mostly speak in Hindi, convince their victim over phone that his or her debit card is about to expire. They offer to extend its validity and get the victim to part with sensitive information.

[One man] refused to heed to the advice of bank authorities. He realised his mistake after losing Rs. 13 lakh.

K.R. Kanthraj,

Deputy Superintendent of Police