Srinagar- On September 26, around noon, Zubair Ahmed, a resident of Srinagar, received a series of unexpected notifications on his phone. As he quickly pulled out his device, a wave of shock washed over him, as if the ground had slipped beneath his feet. He discovered he had fallen victim to an online scam.
Zubair had received multiple One Time Passwords (OTPs) from Jammu and Kashmir Bank, only to find that a staggering Rs 81,886 had been fraudulently withdrawn from his account.
“I do not recall clicking any link that could have compromised my personal information,” Zubair said. “I had received a series of anonymous calls. After successfully phishing, the scammers blackmailed me into a video call.” As he desperately pleaded for a refund, the scammers coerced him into sharing his screen, demanding access to his phone’s data.
Zubair wasted no time in reporting the incident to the cyber police station and freezing his credit card at his bank. Desperate for any clues, Zubair searched for the numbers on Truecaller, only to be met with disappointment. The scammer, according to Ahmad, was likely domestic, operating from within India and speaking Hindi, and not as ‘professional’ as he initially believed.
“The scammer has used my credit card for Amazon shopping. I have shared the transaction details with the cyber police. I am hopeful that the case will be solved swiftly,” he said. However, the delay in retrieving his money is adding to his distress.
According to media reports, the Cyber Police in Kashmir has been kept on tip toes as they are tackling a range of digital offences while fortifying the online space for netizens’ safety. The year 2023 witnessed an escalation in the sophistication of cyber threats, posing challenges for law enforcement agencies. The data of Zonal Police Headquarters reveals that Kashmir Cyber Police in 2023 registered 39 FIRs, redressed 583 cases via The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) and recovered Rs 2 crore, besides redressing miscellaneous cases.
Muneeb Amin Bhat, a cybersecurity analyst and ethical hacker recognized by NASA and Apple’s Hall of Fame’ believes that people of all educational backgrounds lack cyber awareness.
“I have come across many cases where people were duped in lakhs. The scammers play with emotions and feelings of victims. Most of the scammers, especially professionals, do not leave footprints,” he said.
According to him, people should not share OTP, reply to messages seeking personal documents, details, click unwanted links, and install applications which make privacy vulnerable to prevent oneself from falling prey to phishing.
With the diffusion of mobile and internet penetration in society, the techie suggests that the government should create awareness at institutional levels like schools to colleges.
Recently, SP Oswal, chairman and managing director of the Vardhman Group was duped of Rs 7 crore. The textile manufacturer was put under “digital arrest.” He was duped through an elaborate act in which a fraudster impersonating Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, a fake virtual courtroom and documents closely resembles original ones. He too had received a phone call asking him to press a certain number. Police have managed to freeze these accounts and recover over Rs 5 crore so far.
Notably, last month, the Cyber Cell of Jammu and Kashmir successfully recovered a significant portion of the defrauded funds. They resolved an online fraud case involving Rs 96,000 within an impressive eight hours, recovering a substantial Rs 85,799.
Zubair Ahmed too remains hopeful, drawing inspiration from a friend’s recent experience in recovering nearly Rs 70,000 after falling victim to an online scam.
Officials at the Cyber Cell Kashmir refused to discuss developments regarding the case. The story will be updated as new information comes in.
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