Social media manipulation has reached a point where even senior law enforcement officials are not being spared.
Recently a few persons were arrested on the charge of creating fake Facebook profiles of senior police officials like Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Sakhare and Inspector General (IG) P. Vijayan.
The widespread creation of fake profiles coupled with the increasing instances of the honey trap where gullible victims are trapped over social media have prompted the State Police to create awareness about the need to be circumspect while using social media.
A short film directed and scripted serving police personnel and uploaded over the social media handles of the police has drawn considerable attention attracting over four lakh views. The film is being made both in English and Malayalam.
“Impersonation through fake social media profiles by criminals has become quite rampant. The film sought to alert people against it,” said Mr. Vijayan.
The film revolves around the investigation into the mysterious death of the fictitious character of a retired colonel who falls victim to a honey trap over social media. Presented by the State Police Chief Anil Kant, it has Mr. Vijayan as the creative head and K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) as the project consultant.
It is directed by Arun Viswam and scripted by Prasad Parappuram and Sarath Kovilakam. It has the voice-over by actor Prithviraj who has shared it on his Facebook page while the camera is donned by cinematographer Sujith Vasudev.
“There have been quite a few cases of honey trap in Ernakulam rural alone in recent times. Many cases go unreported as the victims are way too embarrassed to lodge a complaint considering their impact on their societal status and family lives. While social media presents an easy way to reach out to others, people should be discreet enough to establish the credibility of the ones they are interacting with. Strangers should not be entertained remains the bottom line,” said Mr. Karthik.