Vizag city tops Andhra Pradesh’s cybercrime chart

VISAKHAPATNAM: As criminals are becoming increasingly tech savvy and coming up with innovative methods to dupe people, cops are struggling to tackle them. As a result, cyber offences in Vizag and other parts of the state are increasing at an alarming rate. New-age cybercrooks stole property worth around 16 crore from Vizagites in 2022.
In a major change in theft trend, perpetrators have made more money from the denizens of Vizag city by sneaking into their online accounts than breaking into their houses and commercial establishments.
According to Vizag city police, conventional thieves (burglars, dacoits, and robbers) are making less money than the cybercrooks in city for the past few years.
Vizag city recorded 596 cybercrime cases (from January to December 13) this year, registering over 95 per cent surge in such offences over the previous year (2021). The cybercrooks stolen over 9.24 crore from Vizagites by duping them employing various methods in 307 cases in 2021.
Among the complaints filed in 2022, crimes related to part time jobs (76 cases) , google search customer care numbers (69 cases), KYC update link (55 cases) and cryptocurrency ( 4 cases) take the lead in terms of people losing huge amounts.
Property loss through offline offences has been slowly decreasing in the city. But, property lost in online crimes is on the rise. The increase in online fraud cases indicates that police will have to deal with different types of crimes in the coming days.
Speaking to TOI, inspector of cybercrimes police station, Vizag, K Bhavani Prasad said cybercrooks duped over 600 people in Vizag city in 2022. “The cyber criminals looted more money (around 5 crore) in cases related to crypto currency. Here, the accused demand money for the purchase of currencies such as bitcoin and others that they never supply to the victims,” he added.
Greed is one of the main reasons for people falling prey to cybercrimes.The increase in cases can be attributed to the easy accessibility to digital platforms. Technically smart people with no proper jobs end up committing these virtual frauds. We have been on the job to identify and nab the accused who operate from various parts of the country and globe, Bhavani Prasad added.
When a monetary fraud is reported within a few hours of the commissioning of the crime, chances of freezing the money or retrieving it are greater. This period is called the golden hour during which transactions are frozen and money is recovered from the payment gateway. People have to understand the latest trends in cybercrimes to keep themselves safe, police added.