Work from home, job scams lead cybercrime in 2023

PTC Web Desk: According to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), a division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, work from home (WFH) or part-time job scams dominated the cybercrime landscape in 2023, followed closely by illegal lending apps. This was revealed by Rajesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of I4C, during the annual press conference at the media centre in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Rajesh Kumar said scamsters primarily lure victims through digital advertisements, online messenger channels, and bulk SMS. He stressed the importance of caution, urging people to avoid falling prey to such fraudulent schemes. He reassured that the authorities continuously work on identifying and curtailing these fraudsters upon receiving reports.

Illegal lending apps emerged as the second most prevalent tool employed by scamsters to target individuals after work from home and part-time job scams. These apps often operate in various countries such as China, Cambodia, Myanmar, among others. The Indian government collaborates with other countries' authorities to report and take action against cybercriminals, he added.

The CEO mentioned that 595 suspicious apps involved in dubious activities were blocked, while 395 instant loan apps were whitelisted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Further measures included reporting suspicious apps to Google and Facebook, flagging mule accounts to banks and Fintech, and publishing details of such suspicious apps on Cyber Dost social media handles.

Additionally, Customer Care Number impersonation and Android malware ranked as the third most common cyber fraud. Scammers utilise fake customer care numbers or install Android malware to steal sensitive credentials such as OTPs.

Also Read | CBSE rolls psychological counselling sessions for Class 10, 12 exams

Also Read | Animal OTT release: Ranbir Kapoor-starrer heads to OTT in January?

Also Read | Indian driver hits jackpot in UAE; takes home huge amount

Kumar further outlined that impersonation and sextortion tactics were widely utilised by scamsters. While WFH scams remained the most reported fraud to authorities, sextortion activities were predominantly observed in Mewat. He noted that sextortion cases were often underreported due to various reasons, with approximately 19,000 cases reported in the past year.

-

Join Whatsapp Channel