PANAJI
Goans have lost over Rs 149 crore in various cyber frauds related cases in last four years, with State recording on an average more than 1500 cases annually.
Interestingly, so far only 6 per cent of the total lost amount has been recovered or refunded to the victims.
As per the data tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Goa has reported whopping 6,052 incidents of cyber fraud till February 28, on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) since its inception in 2020.
According to the Ministry, the total amount lost reported was Rs 149.06 crore of which Rs 9.38 lakh have been recovered or refunded to the victims. Also, around Rs 13.7 crore amount is lying in the form of ‘line amount’ “ the amount that is been withheld pending investigation.
The information was provided by the Ministry to a question raised by Goa MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade.
The Minister said that NCRP has been launched, as a part of the I4C, to enable public to report incidents pertaining to all types of cybercrimes, with special focus on cyber-crimes against women and children. Cybercrime incidents reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs and subsequent action thereon are handled by the State/ UT Law Enforcement agencies concerned as per the provisions of the law.
The ‘Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System’, under I4C, has been launched in year 2021 for immediate reporting of financial frauds and to stop siphoning off funds by the fraudsters. A toll-free Helpline number ‘1930’ has been also operationalised to get assistance in lodging online cyber complaints, the Minister said.
During the winter session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had outlined several contributing factors to the rise in cybercrime cases in Goa, including unauthorised access, misuse of personal information leading to identity theft, financial fraud, lack of awareness of cybersecurity while using social media, and the temptation to earn easy and fast money.
“We are taking steps to strengthen the cyber cell, with new innovations to be implemented within the next two months. Additionally, we are creating awareness about cybercrimes in schools and through the media,” he had explained.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that cybercrime complaints can be reported at any police station across the State or through the helpline number 1930. Plans are also in place to enhance the Cybercrime Lab for more effective investigations.
