Online fraud, social media crime dominate cybercrime

NAVI MUMBAI: Among the total number of cybercrime reported in Navi Mumbai, the maximum have been online fraud and social media crimes.

Cybercrime has led to a loss of around ₹7Cr among the complainants in 2021. The number of cybercrime cases related to social media, online fraud and offences related to women has declined by 55% in 2021 as compared to the previous year.

While a total of 301 cases were registered from January to December, 2020, only 172 were registered in 2021. However, the applications received in 2020 and 2021 are almost the same.

In 2020, a total of 776 applications were received by the cyber cell while in 2021, 755 were received. Among the applications received, most of them were about online fraud that were 383 followed by 186 applications about cyber harassment via social media.

Among the registered cases, online fraud by imposters duping citizens in online banking, phishing, sharing OTP and scanning QR codes under different pretexts increased from 46 cases in 2020 to 105 cases in 2021. Matrimonial request fraud increased from only one case in 2020 to three in 2021 besides eight cases of Facebook requests that led to fraud of the victim.

A total of ₹7.04Cr has been lost by the victims of cybercrime in Navi Mumbai, of which ₹3.15Cr was lost by 28 complainants who fell prey to sharing OTP and QR codes. Seventy seven people lost ₹2.81Cr via other online frauds.

“People are still falling for fraud wherein they end up sharing OTPs and passwords over the phone. Nobody is entitled to ask for an OTP or any bank password over the phone and hence it should not be shared. One should not fall prey to the talks of people befriended over social media with no background check,” DCP, crime branch, Suresh Mengade, said.