Director General of Police Amaresh Pujari, who heads the Cyber Crime Wing of Tamil Nadu Police, in an interview with The Hindu cautioned people not to download loan apps from unverified websites to avoid falling prey to fraudsters. He also elaborated on the emerging trends in cyber frauds and helplines for victims. Excerpts:
There have been cases of people, who borrowed small sums, being harassed and blackmailed by those managing predatory loan apps. How does one deal with them?
Whenever such loan apps come to our notice, we take up the matter with the app provider to take it down. This year, we came across273 loan apps on Google Play Store. After sustained follow-up by the Cyber Crime Wing, Google has taken down 211 apps. Efforts are being made to bring down the remaining 62 apps. The problem, however, is compounded by the fact that people download such loan apps from various websites too. I would strongly urge people not to download any app from unverified websites as it can contaminate their mobile phones and lead to loss of money.
What are some of the other emerging cyber frauds?
Of late, many people have fallen victim to what has come to be called the ‘Boss Scam’. Fraudsters use photos of senior officers in Display Pictures (DPs) on WhatsApp as means of impersonation and send messages to people working in the particular offices, requesting money or asking them to click a link for gift cards. I would urge people not to respond to such messages unless it is…
