The Maharashtra Cyber Department has issued an alert for citizens warning them about exploitation of cyber-crime helpline (1930) by cyber-criminals. Fraudsters pretended to be police officers using a Skype ID called 'POLICE 1930' to trick victims into thinking they were real law enforcement, the alert stated.
According to the alert, they falsely claimed that the victim's Aadhar ID was used for shipping illegal items like drugs and credit cards. The criminals then threatened the victim with imprisonment and freezing his/her bank accounts unless the victim transferred a large amount of money to them. "This sophisticated scam misuse an official cyber-crime helpline to exploit the victim's trust in government systems. If you are a victim of such a scam then report to www.cybercrime.gov.in or helpline number 1930," the alert further stated.
The police sources said that scammers are using new tactics to trick people wherein they impersonate law enforcement and threaten citizens with fake arrests via phone or video calls. "If contacted by someone claiming to be law enforcement, terminate the call and verify their identity through official channels. Legitimate authorities will not request immediate payment over the phone. One should not disclose sensitive data or financial details to unknown callers and if anyone receives a threatening call or message, it should be reported to local authorities or cyber-crime units. In case someone receives fake arrest emails, one should not trust or respond to fake arrest notices sent via email, WhatsApp, SMS or Phone calls claiming to be from the police. Be skeptical of emails that seem urgent, threatening, or out of the ordinary. Verify the authenticity of any suspicious emails and check the email address to ensure it's from a genuine government website ending in "gov.in"," a police officer said.
