Worried over the growth in cyber crimes in Odisha, with fraudsters impersonating top personnel online to gather funds from individuals, the state administration has encouraged Netizens to take caution during any financial transactions.
Details about Odisha sees spike in cyber crimes as from nude calls to UPI fraud
According to the government, cyber fraudsters are using images of senior bureaucrats on WhatsApp and other social media messaging platforms to ask individuals to pay bills.
According to the official statement, “a fake telephone number 9315641784” is utilizing the photo of Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and soliciting people to pay bills or remit money.
Previously, others received identical messages from a false profile of Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary P K Jena.
Jena had made a complaint, but the scammers had yet to be identified, according to police sources.
The administration wishes to inform the public that there is no such thing as a chief secretary’s mobile phone number. According to the statement made on Tuesday, the chief secretary never urges anyone to pay any bill or remit money to any account.
Maintaining that the chief secretary would not be answerable for any transaction done on the basis of these fraudulent communications, it also added, All are requested to remain aware and wary of such messages. Anyone who receives such a message is asked to contact the cyber police station or the nearest police station.
Despite the fact that around 6,000 villages in Odisha lack mobile coverage, cybercrime in the state is on the rise.
According to government figures, 1,475 cybercrime instances were reported in 2019, rising to 1,931 in 2020 and 2,037 last year.
Similarly, the quantity of fraud has doubled during the last three years. Cyber crooks swindled Rs 16.18 crore from citizens in Odisha in 2019. This will rise to Rs 35.07 crore in 2020 and Rs 40.39 crore in 2021.
