In a strong blow to online fraud, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre I4C under the Ministry of Home Affairs has identified and blocked over 1,700 Skype IDs and a whopping 59,000 WhatsApp accounts that were used by fraudsters to conduct digital fraud.
The MHA linked these accounts to a host of fraudulent activities, including the disturbing trend of ‘digital arrests.’ Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar praised the efficiency of the ‘Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System,’ which was launched in 2021. Through this facility, financial frauds are reported very quickly and have helped a lot in preventing scammers from misappropriating the money.
Kumar said more than ₹3,431 crore has been saved by this system, with approximately 994,000 complaints redressed so far. The MHA explained that the multi-point campaign on digital arrests includes announcements in newspapers, Delhi metro railways, and outreach through social media influencers. The campaign has also used Prasar Bharati and electronic media; special programs are running on Aakashvani to inform and educate the public about such fraud.
In a written response to the Lok Sabha, MHA said, “I4C has proactively identified and blocked more than 1,700 Skype IDs and 59,000 WhatsApp accounts used for digital arrest.” This crackdown by I4C comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging police leadership to intensify efforts against digital fraud. At a recent DGPs/IGPs conference in Bhubaneswar, the Prime Minister highlighted how artificial intelligence is being used by scammers to deceive people.
The MHA has also issued a public advisory to raise awareness about scams involving blackmail and digital arrests, warning citizens about impostors posing as officials from state police, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and other law enforcement agencies.
