Several reports state an increase in Cyber security-related crime cases in several states over the past year during the Covid-19 lockdowns due to an increase in the use of remote working tools.
With more people staying at home with their computers and laptops for working and studying, the total rate of cybercrime per 100,000 people has increased from 3.3 to 3.7 in 2020, according to the Crime in India 2020 report.
The report quantifies for the first time the unusual trend in Indian cyber crime cases in a year when much of the country was in a lockdown.
The data also showed that in total a 60.4 per cent of cases were that of registered fraud online with over 4,047 cases of online banking fraud, 1,093 OTP number frauds and 1,194 credit/debit card fraud, while 2,160 ATM-related cases followed by other motives like sexual exploitation (5.1%) and causing disrepute (4.2%).
Another report by a cybersecurity software company, Norton LifeLock, said that a massive 27 million Indian adults were victims of identity theft during the lockdown, and 52% of adults in India were said to be unaware of how to protect themselves from online fraud.
Areas most affected
Among the union territories, the national capital Delhi alone registered 0.8% of 168 cybercrime cases in the past year. Meanwhile, the crime rate was found to be the highest in Karnataka with 16.2 %, followed by Telangana (13.4%), Assam (10.1%), Uttar Pradesh (4.8%) and Maharashtra (4.4%), the data showed.
Measures taken
Most states have started taking drastic measures to strengthen their infrastructure to deal with such cyber-crimes. In Chhattisgarh, five new cyber police stations have been notified in every range headquarters, and policemen have been trained in detecting and preventing these crimes.
The increase of such crimes has prompted several states to also set up dedicated units for cyber cases in different districts of the states and made cybercrime detection training mandatory for police personnel in the states.
States like Rajasthan, Kerala and Telangana are forming a dedicated cybercrime investigation department, while Delhi Police has been setting up a cybercrime wing.
The home ministry has also established a dedicated portal for reporting any cybercrime cases- cybercrime.gov.in.
Nature of crime
Most reported cases include:
- Online transactions and hacking cases that are luring people into online transactions and robbing them through the net, hacking account details and blackmail.
- Creating fake social media accounts of influential figures like officers, public figures, IAS or IPS officers etc.
- Circulating pornographic material of women and children online under fake profiles. Blackmailing personnel through private chat by threatening to share images of intimate moments online.
- Phishing attacks claiming to inform users about vaccines or other covid-related measures and taking advantage of those who need relief.
