IEP Chandigarh, September 17
Under a special initiative launched to combat the latest modus operandi of cyber fraudsters who cheat people on social media by using the photographs of high-ranking officers, State Crime Branch, Haryana organised a training session for all Cyber Nodal officers across the state.
Sharing the information here today, a Haryana Police spokesperson informed that the cyber fraudsters download the photos of IPS/IAS officers from the Internet and used it as profile picture on their WhatsApp numbers. Besides that, they also send messages to junior rank officers asking for money or other favours. “Similar cybercrime cases have come to the fore in many states of the country,” he added.
“In such incidents, it is advised that if someone asks you to send money or buy something on the message, then you should call and check with the concerned person before doing so. In this training session, all the Cyber Nodal officers of the state and the employees appointed at the Cyber Desks were sensitized about the new trend,” said Sh. O.P. Singh, ADGP Crime.
“With changing modus operandis of cybercrime, Police is also becoming more advanced. More of these training sessions will be organized for cyber officers in the coming future,” he added.
Recently, a meeting with the nodal officers of WhatsApp was also held to prevent such crimes. Post which, a new feature was added by WhatsApp that has helped the Police in the crime investigation process. This feature is called LERS (Law Enforcement Response System) which allows Police to report any suspicious account details to WhatsApp so that it can be closed immediately.
72 Nodal officers and Employees from across the state have participated in this online training session. In this session, it was also told how to conduct investigations, trace the complaints and best ways to nab the cyber thugs in the case of similar modus operandi where fake WhatsApp account is used to defraud people.
The citizens are advised not to get involved if a message comes from unknown number. The Cybercrime cases can be reported via. call at 1930.