State sees surge in cybercrime cases

SHILLONG, Dec 8: Cybercrime cases are on the rise in Meghalaya, with numerous incidents being reported from various parts of the state. A look at the official website of Meghalaya Police reveals that residents of the state are increasingly falling victim to fraudsters employing diverse tactics, from impersonation to hacking.
In one instance, a Shillong resident lodged a complaint on December 4, alleging he received a call from an individual identifying himself as ‘Raj’, an ‘inquiry officer’ from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and attempted to dupe him.
Meanwhile, in West Garo Hills (WGH), a resident reported receiving a call on November 26 from an individual claiming to be a police officer and a relative of his wife. The caller allegedly abused and threatened to abduct and arrest him.
Educational institutions have also been a target of cybercriminals.
According to a complainant, a school WhatsApp group of Evenezer Pre-school in West Garo Hills was reportedly hacked, with the miscreant(s) asking parents/guardians for money.
The complainant, who is a resident of Tura, disclosed that her WhatsApp account was compromised after she shared a six-digit code with an individual posing as ‘Joseph’, a teacher from the same school. The person had informed the complainant about an online meeting and asked her to share the six digit code she received on her WhatsApp.
Subsequently, her WhatsApp account was hacked and messages were sent to various individuals requesting for financial help in the complainant’s name.
In another incident, an Associate Professor in Shillong became a victim of an online scam.
After noticing a Facebook video featuring the proprietor of Infosys Pvt. Ltd. promoting an AI-based investment scheme, he invested Rs 21,044 in his wife’s name, only to realise he had been duped.
It is pertinent to note that despite government measures, cases of cybercrime continue to plague Meghalaya.
Only recently, the Centre had blocked a total of 17,000 WhatsApp accounts of hackers from South-East Asia.
In a post on X, CyberDost, a cyber-safety handle maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, informed that it aims to disrupt offshore criminal networks and strengthen India’s digital security.
“Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), in collaboration with DoT, has successfully blocked 17,000 WhatsApp accounts used by cyber criminals from South East Asia. The initiative aims to disrupt offshore criminal networks and strengthen India’s #DigitalSecurity,” CyberDost informed.