Nagaland police have again cautioned the public against the various cyber frauds and crimes that were prevalent in the state.
According to Nagaland police PRO, the fraudsters often steal the identity and photos of the victims, which were openly available on social media, and then send phishing messages asking the victim’s friends and colleagues for help in the form of money transfers, common merchant card purchases, e-wallet transfers, etc.
Police cautioned that fraudsters could also solicit and recommend some fraudulent apps requiring the transfer and deposit of money.
On extortion or blackmailing/extortion of victims, police said the fraudsters generally convince or persuade victim to chat, video chat, or exchange photos through social media. It said the conversation or video may or may not be of sexual or of compromising nature, but the scamsters resort to morphing their pictures and superimposing compromising pictures to harass and threaten the victims with dire consequences.
Police said the fraudsters are professionals and try to overwhelm the victims through various aggressive tactics and language. Some victims, out of alarm, make payments through various online payment apps, UPIs, etc., police said.
Further, police cautioned that Bitcoin scam was where potential victims were lured to invest/buy Bitcoins by fraudsters, who entice the victims by sending messages, and links. Police said the fraudsters also hack the social media accounts of friends of the victim and making it seem like their friends were endorsing the particular Bitcoin.
Police also cautioned on fake online shopping apps and shopping pages/accounts in popular social media platforms. Police said the fraudsters lure the victims by offering attractive offers/discounts through their pages and after the victims make the payment, the delivery is not made.
Therefore, police have advised the general public to remain vigilant and not be duped by such scams.
Police also reiterated appeal to the general public not to transfer money without completely verifying the authenticity of the account, be it through bank transfer, easy money transfer Apps, UPIs, e-Wallets, etc., and not to accept requests from strangers without verification, no matter how genuine and attractive they may appear, and not to fall for advertisements or links for Bitcoins, Online Game Prizes/Gifts, Lottery, Cash Back, Easy Loans, Stock Market Investment Scams, Quick Returns, etc.
