On July 16, a retired government official along with his 14-year-old grandson approached the Cyber Crime police in Chittoor complaining that a fraudster held full access to their mobile phone, after the boy had downloaded an online game on the pretext of attending an online class.
A fraudster with his contact traced to Toronto in Canada had morphed the photographs of the women members of the family and posted the content on WhatsApp, demanding cash transfer. Even as Cyber Crime inspector K. Ramesh was observing the boy’s mobile, the fraudster had furnished the details of his grandfather’s bank account number, saying: “You don’t need to do anything. Just keep quiet. We do everything.” The police officer advised the elderly man to immediately freeze his bank account.
“The fraudster is traced to Toronto. But we can’t do anything. The best way to escape from such frauds is to stay away from the temptation of online games,” says the official.
The cyber crime police have observed that COVID-19 pandemic has forced many parents to get mobile devices for children for online classes. However, they have become an easy way for fraudsters to lure children with a myriad of online games, loading them with viruses and payment options.
Malicious popups
In another case, a 20-year-old girl student unknowingly clicked some popups and links pertaining to porn content following which a fraudster started demanding money. When they refused to pay, the fraudster posted the girl’s image with her mobile number as contact in an objectionable website. After much effort, the police could finally get it deleted from the website.
“This trend of online education has led to the purchase of thousands of mobiles in Chittoor district alone. Parents should make their children attend online classes in the open, instead of allowing them privacy in bedrooms. The devices of parents and children should be synchronised for effective monitoring. After online classes, the devices should be de-linked from Internet,” advises inspector Ramesh.
