With cyber frauds on the rise, in which gullible people, including well-educated, are losing huge money, Madurai city police have launched an awareness campaign against such frauds.
The city police have put up huge flex boards in attractive red colour at vantage points across the city.
“Since, most of the cybercrimes are occurring only because of lack of awareness among the people, we have begun this campaign. Besides, the victims could also know how to act quickly to lodge complaints so that they could increase their chances of getting back the lost money,” said Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan.
The police have put up three types of boards -- one to popularise the toll-free number 1930 and website www.cybercrime.gov.in to lodge and two lists different types of cybercrimes in vogue through a - e-booklet.
The third board has awareness videos on cybercrime by Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal and film actor Karthi.
The Commissioner said that the very common way of duping the people by cyber criminals is investment frauds through social media like offering part-time jobs, investment in share-market and marketing.
The other popular type of crime is digital arrests by criminals who make video calls posing as CBI and customs officer.
“Claiming that a courier sent to their name contained drugs, the cybercriminals would threaten to undertake digital arrest of the victims and force them to transfer huge money,” Mr. Loganathan said.
Other popular fraudulent ways are processing of loan application and KYC update.
The police want the people to know that no bank official would call a person over phone and seek personal details, especially bank account details and password of net-banking or OTP.
The Commissioner said that the city police had taken steps to freeze ₹ 22.50 crore since April 2021 till March 2025. Besides, ₹3.25 crore has been retrieved through courts of law and restored with the victims.
Stating that it was mandatory to register FIR for all cybercrime complaints involving over ₹ 5 lakh , Mr. Loganathan said that the city police were following this rule scrupulously.
However, he said that the only way to prevent cybercrimes was to educate people about it.
Published - April 04, 2025 10:38 pm IST
