Coimbatore rural police flag cyber fraud surge as residents lose ₹36.23 crore in nine months
The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police have appealed to the public to stay alert against a range of cyber frauds, including KYC fraud, investment fraud and "digital arrest", after people in their jurisdiction lost about ₹36.23 crore to fraudsters over nine months.
The police said they received 4,535 cybercrime complaints during the period — 2,078 through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 and 2,457 through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The police did not specify the exact dates covered by the nine-month data.
By number of complaints, cheating in e-commerce and online purchases was the most reported category, with 917 cases. It was followed by loan app fraud (415), job fraud (276), APK file-related scams (259), "wrong number" calls (201), hacking (198), personal loan complaints (183), credit card fraud (163), investment and trading fraud (162) and social media-related complaints (151).
The largest losses, however, came from investment and trading fraud, at ₹15,73,86,766. Cheating through e-commerce and online purchases accounted for ₹2,08,36,227, job fraud for ₹1,77,29,337, APK file-related scams for ₹1,30,98,751, credit card fraud for ₹1,06,61,671 and the digital arrest scam for ₹1,04,08,810.
Explaining the methods commonly used by fraudsters, the police said UPI and QR code frauds involve inducing victims to scan fake QR codes or make UPI payments under false pretences. In OTP fraud, the caller poses as a bank official, a government representative or another trusted figure to obtain a one-time password and carry out unauthorised transactions.
Phishing relies on fake websites, emails, text messages or malicious links to collect personal and financial details. In credit and debit card fraud, card numbers, CVV and other card details are obtained fraudulently and used for unauthorised transactions.
Investment and trading fraudsters lure victims with promises of unusually high returns. Online shopping frauds are run through fake websites or social media pages that collect payment for products and then fail to deliver them. Loan app frauds use fake or malicious applications to extract money or personal information from victims.
In the "digital arrest" scam, which the police described as now among the most common, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement authorities and threaten victims, mainly the elderly, claiming that their bank accounts or credentials are linked to fraudulent activity. The victims are then made to transfer money from their accounts on the pretext of a verification process. Police in several States have issued similar advisories against such scams in recent months.
The police advised the public to verify the identity of anyone demanding money or personal details online or over the phone, and to avoid taking decisions under pressure or fear. They stressed that immediate reporting of a financial cyber fraud to the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the NCRP portal at cybercrime.gov.in is extremely important.
