Conmen fake senior cops' FB profiles

KOLKATA: At least two senior IPS officers, one of them in the rank of DG and another an ADG, became the latest victims whose fake Facebook profiles have been created. Fraudsters used the fake profiles to demand money from the officers' acquaintances.
One of the two IPS officers have taken to social media to warn people against falling prey to such fake profiles. "Someone has created a fake FB profile using my name and profile picture. The matter has been reported to the authorities concerned and legal action is being initiated. Please don't accept friend requests from the fake one," he wrote on his original page.
The fake ID-makers had not only used the officers' photos without their permission, but had even used the Kolkata Police emblems even though both of the cops are now posted in Bengal Police. The photos used in the fake accounts match those used in original ones.
Ever since the pandemic, several senior state police and government officers - including IAS and IPS officers - have fallen prey to cyber fraudsters after they created fake emails and social media accounts and made fake Facebook posts in their names, demanding money from the victims' acquaintances claiming helplessness.
What makes the plot far more sinister this time is the fact that the accused are not merely content making fake profiles. "While the modus operandi is an old one across the globe, this is the first time so many police and government officers have been targeted all at once," said an officer from Kolkata Police cyber cell that had earlier created a warning video in this regard and released it on the Kolkata Police social media pages.