Nagaland Police issues advisory against cyber fraud, crime

Dimapur: The Nagaland Police on Thursday issued an advisory urging citizens to be alert about various cyber frauds and crimes rampant in the state.

They have also been advised to be alert and cautious at all times.
The Superintendent of Police (Crime) and PRO, Police Headquarters Nagaland, through a press release said that a recent fraud has been experienced in the country and now in the state as a customer care executive of Vodafone, Airtel and Jio. Phishing calls from scammers impersonating and offering help. For unsuspecting users to upgrade 4G SIMs to 5G.

Fraudsters send links in the name of 5G from telecom companies and ask to share personal and banking information or OTP.
“If you open the link, there is a risk of the phone being hacked,” the police said.

Another common scam and still frequently used by criminals is hacking personal accounts of popular social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and using the hacked accounts for fraudulent purposes e.g. Asking for money, asking for investment, bitcoins from their contact lists and moving around. Money from the accounts of unsuspecting victims.
Similar to this is the “boss/friend impersonation scam” where fraudsters steal victims’ identities and photos available on the Internet and gain access to victims’ friends from websites or contact lists and transfer money to them. Send messages for help. , merchant cards, e-wallets etc.

The police also highlighted some other common scams like fake customer care calls, sextortion, fake lottery winnings etc. which are still active.
Fake customer care calls from banks about KYC update or debit card expiry asking for bank account details and OTP, after which money is withdrawn from the victim’s account.

These fake calls can also impersonate common payment apps like Google Pay, PayTm, PhonePe etc.

In sexual harassment, unsuspecting male or female victims receive video calls and messages from unknown numbers and are blackmailed for money after their images are recorded and morphed or misused.
Fake lottery winnings, loan or insurance approvals, scratch card coupons, investment opportunities, jobs, electricity bills, etc. are also commonly used to scam innocent victims.

The police have requested the public to be alert and vigilant and not fall for such scams.

Fraudsters are experienced fraudsters and go to extra lengths to appear genuine and work through multiple identities, accounts, phone numbers, etc.