In view of the increasing cases of cyber frauds and crime in the state and in the country, the Nagaland Police has urged citizens to be stay alert, vigilant and cautious against such activities at all times.

The Superintendent of Police (Crime) & PRO, PHQ Nagaland, through a press release, stated that the fraudsters are experienced scammers and take extra efforts to appear genuine and operate through multiple identities, accounts, phone numbers etc.

The police cited some examples of cyber fraud going on in the state at present.

• Phishing calls from scammers posing as customer care executives from Vodafone/Airtel/Jio and offering assistance for upgrading 4G SIMs to 5G to unsuspecting customers. The fraudsters send links in the name of 5G of telecom companies and if you open the link, there is a risk of hacking the phone. They ask for sharing personal/banking information/OTPs.
• Hacking of personal accounts of popular social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and use of the hacked accounts for fraudulent purposes like asking money/soliciting investments/bitcoins from their contact lists and siphoning money from accounts of unsuspecting victims.
• The ‘boss/friend impersonation scam’ where fraudsters steal identity and photos of the victims available on the internet and access the victims’ friends from websites/contact list and send them messages asking for help in the form money transfer, merchant cards, e-wallets etc.
• Fake customer care calls from banks regarding KYC updation/Debit Card expiry and asking bank account details and OTPs after which money is withdrawn from the victims account. These fake calls can also impersonate common payment apps like Google Pay, PayTm, PhonePe etc.
• Sextortion where unsuspecting male/female victims accept video calls and messages from unknown numbers and are blackmailed for money after recording and morphing /misusing their pictures.
• Fake lottery wins, loan/insurance sanction, scratch card coupons, investment opportunity, jobs, electricity bill etc. are also commonly used to scam innocent victims.

Nagaland Police has requested all citizens to maintain strict cyber security habits and practices such as

1. Never click on unverified links received through SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram etc.
2. Never accept request from strangers in social media without verification.
3. Never fall for attractive messages regarding loans, lottery, online game prizes, investment, bitcoins etc.
4. Always use official stores like Google Play/App Store for downloading apps. Check permissions settings for each app downloaded.
5. Use strong passwords and different passwords for different social media accounts and enable two-factor authentication. Review your social media privacy settings strictly. Avoid sharing personal information in social media.
6. Never transfer money without completely verifying authenticity of the account, be it through bank transfer, payment apps, UPIs, e-Wallets etc.

In case of a financial fraud, Nagaland Police has asked public to immediately call cyber-crime Helpline Number 1930 and register complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in