Cybercrime Protection
1. Cybercrime trends
In a social engineering attack an attacker deceives individuals into divulging
- Confidential information such as Credit Card numbers or Passwords.
- Performing actions such as clicking on malicious links or installing malware
thereby compromising security of their victims often without their awareness or consent.
Phishing is a type of cybercrime in which victims are contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as an employee of a legitimate institution such as a bank or your insurance company or as someone known to you.
The objective is to get people to reveal sensitive data such as their account numbers, home address, banking/credit card details and usernames/passwords.
Know more about Phishing Scams
Phishing scams in news:
- Reddit hacked in phishing attack, confirms no user data was leaked (indianexpress.com)
- Received an email from YouTube about change in rules and policies? Here’s why you shouldn’t open it | Technology News – The Indian Express
- Woman pays Rs 5 to receive parcel, ended up losing Rs 1.38 lakh in a new online scam – India Today
- Pune based company falls victim to new email scam, loses Rs 22 lakh – India Today
- 57% of all fraud incidents in India are ‘platform’ frauds, says report – BusinessToday
Identity theft is a type of cybercrime where a person’s personal and sensitive information is stolen and used by someone else without their consent, often for financial gain or fraudulent activities.
The goal of identity theft is to assume the victim’s identity and use it to carry out various malicious activities, such as making unauthorized purchases, applying for credit, committing fraud, or accessing sensitive accounts.
Know more about Identity theft Scams
Identity theft scams in news:
In an ATM and card skimming scam criminals use illegal methods to steal sensitive information from credit or debit cards and then use that information for unauthorized transactions or to clone the cards.
This type of scam typically targets individuals who use ATMs or other card-reading devices for their financial transactions.
Know more about card skimming scams
Card Skimming Scams in News:
- Atm: Hry Crime Branch Cracks 110 Atm Fraud Cases, Seizes 17l | Chandigarh News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)
- 25+ ATM users duped of lakhs in 15 days, police stations yet to act | Nagpur News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)
- Gone in 4 minutes: Milkman loses Rs 75,000 saved for wife’s medicines in ATM card fraud in Mumbai | Mumbai News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)
Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are both forms of online harassment and abuse that involve the use of digital communication tools to target and intimidate individuals.
It’s essential for individuals to be aware of these behaviors, take steps to protect their online presence, and seek support from trusted friends, family members, or professionals if they become targets of such harassment.
Know more about Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking
Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking in News:
2. Tips to protect yourself from Cybercrime
Cybercriminals often come up with new techniques to cheat their victims making it difficult for having automated solutions that are 100% reliable.
Awareness about some of the common phishing attacks may help you in safeguarding your hard-earned money.
Follow these links for more information:
Frequently review your bank and credit card statements for any unauthorized or suspicious transactions. If you notice anything unusual, contact your bank immediately.
Despite all care you take, sometimes cybercriminals may still be successful in hacking your device.
You may hear about a data breach on the news or through a Whatsapp message from your friend or through your service provider. You need to take steps to reduce your exposure to the data breach.
Some of the steps to protect yourself or your loved ones from Cyberbullying or Cyberstalking are using social media privacy settings to reduce your exposure, not accepting friend requests from strangers and reporting incidents to law enforcement agencies or the social media platform.