[1]Economic offences, job scams and cyber attacks constitute lion’s share of crimes that occur in Kochi, according to police officials Shreyas Sasidharan, a 32 -year-old businessman based in Thevara in Kochi was cheated by a fraudster, who gave the former a bogus cheque two weeks back.
Anoop Mathew, 22, from Thrippunithura was swindled off nearly Rs 2 lakh by a recruitment company named Westend International Exports and Manpower Consultants in Panampilly Nagar, on the false promise of offering him job in a Gulf country.
Smrithi Vishwanathan (all names changed), 17, of Edappally had a nasty experience few months ago, when her photograph was misused by one of her classmates.
A fake profile on Facebook was created by the friend using Smrithi’s name and photo, and was used for posting obscene pictures and comments.
These three incidents that occurred to three different people at three different times in Kochi are typical of a majority of crimes occurring here.
“Kochi is vulnerable to economic offences, cyber crimes and recruitment frauds, because it is a developing city.
Kochi has also grown up technologically, which invites such offences of educated class. We have booked and nailed several racketeers who had been operating such criminal activities in the past few months,” says K. Padmakumar, the inspector general of Ernakulam Range.
The cops also advice the people not to fall in traps as such racketeers have been mushrooming in the city. “It is important that the public should be vigilant about such traps.
If they find an institution suspicious and not authorised, they should immediately inform the police. ,” he adds.
About cyber threats, the IG says the users must consider the dos and don’ts to ensure hassle-free internet usage.
tips to stay safe and secure
Find a Recruitment Agency fishy when
* You’re offered a job without an application, interview, or discussion with the employer.
* The company asks you to wire money or asks for your credit card information.
* The company asks for personal information like your social security number or driver’s license number.
* The company asks you to pay for a credit report as part of the application process.
For a hassle-free Cyber Usage
* Always use anti-virus software
* Keep personal information off your cyber network and system. Do not reveal passwords & bank acco
unt details to any person
* Use spam filters while using emails
To keep away the Economic Offenders
* Do not fall prey to bogus deals
* Do not invest in companies and builders with improper credentials
* Do not be blind when you are up for a real estate deal. Be realistic and make the deal.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/cop0jpgcropdisplayjpg-278