Navi Mumbai witnesses surge in cyber crime cases in last one week

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A sudden surge in cyber fraud cases has been witnessed in Navi Mumbai. The usual modus operandi of calling to update the Know Your Customer (KYC) information of mobile wallets and purchasing items online has been used to siphon off lakhs of money in the past one week. The commissioner of Navi Mumbai warned citizens regarding the same and urged them to be cautious.

Sanjay Kumar, the commissioner of Navi Mumbai Police, took to Twitter to alert citizens. He tweeted: "Cyber fraudsters are active again with their time tested OLX or Paytm update. I just want to reiterate, you don't have to download any app on the instructions of unknown people or share your OTP with them. You are only required to send OTP or code when buying online. The targets this time include a 21-year-old and a 65-year-old."

On July 20, 34-year-old Aarati Patil, a teacher and a resident of New Panvel, received a call from an unknown number. The stranger asked her for personal information, claiming that she hadn't completed the KYC process for her Paytm account. When she shared the required information, Rs 2.35 lakh were siphoned off from her and her husband's account.

Sanjay Kumar, commissioner, Navi Mumbai

In another similar incident, Ram Deshpande, a resident of Seawoods, received a call from an unknown number on July 23. The caller claimed to call to update Desphande's KYC. He was asked to download an app called Quick Support. After he downloaded it and uploaded vital information such as his account number and pin number, R1.54 lakh were withdrawn from his account.

"There is an increasing trend of cyber frauds in the city. Citizens have been conned of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of updating an app or during online sales," a senior police officer from the Navi Mumbai Police told mid-day. "We are registering four to five cases in various police stations every day," he added.

The commissioner of Navi Mumbai Police assured citizens of surveillance by tweeting: "Cyber cell of Navi Mumbai Police is working relentlessly to detect and neutralise the cyber fraudsters, but it takes time to establish and detect the spatial distance of the accused and their digital identity. Awareness is preventive and workable. Please co-operate."

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