BENGALURU: In 2018, as many as 124 people were arrested for cybercrime offences. According to KN Yashwanth Kumar, police inspector of cybercrime police station, at least 50 per cent of them were foreigners, arrested for cases of fraud through OTP, card skimming, job frauds and online matrimonial cheating.

In job racket cases, the foreign perpetrator promises a victim a job in marine engineering or as a doctor in a foreign country. To make the offer sound more attractive, he or she adds that the pay package will be double the current salary, along with accommodation facilities.

“In return, they ask the victim to pay for the visa, flight tickets and training fee, which will be refunded after they reach the country. Before the victim reaches the destination, the perpetrators would have already taken the money,” explained Yashwanth. 2017 alone saw 172 such cases, while last year had 382 cases. 

According to Yashwanth, card skimming is the second most common crime after OTP.  In 2017, the number of cases were 395, while 2018 had 663 instances. Matrimonial online cheating has also become common, wherein the victim receives a fake proposal online. “The foreigner would pose as a rich Indian abroad who lures the victim into paying lakhs, with the promise of taking them abroad,” said Yashwanth.

Be aware
● Do not share your OTP with anyone
● Avoid unknown links sent through SMS or online
● Do not download an unknown app if instructed by a caller or stranger 
● Exercise caution with names registered on caller verification apps