The more we use technology for convenience in our day-to-day lives, the more cautious we have to be. It seems scamsters find ingenious ways to deceive people about money and goods. They target vulnerable groups like the illiterate, senior citizens, etc. Fraud happens in many ways, some of which can be as harmless as clicking a link received on a WhatsApp message. Some days back I had written two blogs regarding credit card frauds and lesser known frauds. To be safe from these frauds, all it needs is a little care and caution, and you can continue online transactions in peace. In today’s blog, I am writing on how to REPORT CYBERCRIME FRAUDS.
The key is not to panic when you receive a call claiming to be from the bank, insurance firm, etc., asking for your details ASAP. That is a dead giveaway that it is a scam. Also, before clicking on any link that may seem to be from a genuine sender, please double-check. Never provide banking or credit card details to anyone or in any online forms unless fully authenticated. Despite all safety precautions, if you figure out that someone has scammed you, kindly report the matter. There is no point in hiding it, thinking what others will think, etc. It is important to report the crime and ensure they are tracked and can not harm others.
How to Report
The Indian government has started a cybercrime portal and dedicated helpline to make it easy for people to report cybercrimes. The helpline number is 1930. If you suspect you may be the victim of any online fraud, immediately dial this number and produce all details.
Alternatively, you could also report the accurate details of the crime to the cybercrime portal. This portal caters to cybercrime complaints with a special focus on crimes against women and children. The complaints you register on this portal are dealt with as deemed needful by the law enforcement agencies/police based on the information provided while registering the complaint.
What Kind of Crimes Can You Report?
You can report cybercrimes related to women and children, such as pornography, rape, and other sexual content, even anonymously. Such complaints need not provide personal information about yourself but would need accurate information about the crime that law enforcement agencies to track and take action.
You can also report mobile, online, social media, and cryptocurrency crimes, online financial frauds, ransomware, and hacking on this portal. These would need you to provide accurate personal details to help the agencies track the crime.
Before reporting a crime, you will need to register as a user on the portal, for which the portal generates and sends an OTP to your mobile number. To help the agencies conduct a detailed probe, keep relevant evidence ready. The evidence could be bank and credit card statements, copies of emails/messages/links as applicable, mobile numbers from which you received fraudulent calls or messages, URLs of web pages, screenshots, etc. If the crime happened on a social media platform, you can keep screenshots of the crime, like chats or posts, and report it through the social media options that allow you to flag such things.
What Happens When You Report The Crime?
The complaint is passed on to the relevant state/UT agencies for further processing according to the applicable laws. You will also receive an email on the registered email for acknowledgment of the complaint submission. People providing false complaints are liable to penal action under the IPC. If you have chosen the report and track option, you will receive an acknowledgment number that you can use to track the status till closure.
Please note that you can not withdraw crime complaints reported against women and children, while you can withdraw cybercrime complaints before an FIR is filed. The cybercrime portal has more details about the various types of crimes, safety tips, FAQs, and more that can help create awareness about the crimes and report them.
With awareness, caution, and safety considerations, one can safely transact online. However, if you slip up, it is best to report the crimes by calling the helpline 1930 as mentioned above.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
5th March 2024