Beware Of Cyber Criminals As Vizag Turning A Hotspot

Educated youth mainly take recourse to various types of cyber crime in a bid to make a fast buck in Visakhapatnam, which has emerged over the years as a cosmopolitan city with ninth largest contribution to GDP. Digital arrest, a new tactic has come as a big menace

Visakhapatnam: Incidence of cyber crime in and around Visakhapatnam is on the rise with the reporting of cases involving Rs115 crore in 2024 and Rs10 crore in the first 10 days of 2025.

With the gradual increase in the number of cyber frauds, the city is emerging as a hotspot for cyber scamsters. Some criminals are also taking advantage of artificial intelligence by imitating voice and insisting on money transfer to help someone in distress. Police say as the criminals are adopting smart methods with new technologies, there is a need to be on high alert for everyone and on suspicion itself, one should take the assistance of the police.

Educated youth mainly take recourse to various types of cyber crime in a bid to make a fast buck in Visakhapatnam, which has emerged over the years as a cosmopolitan city with ninth largest contribution to GDP. Digital arrest, a new tactic has come as a big menace.

Speaking at an awareness programme conducted by former Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao, Commissioner of Police Shankar Brata Bagchi appealed to the people to be wary of the modus operandi of cyber criminals and report suspected cases immediately to the police and inform national toll- free 1930 to freeze transactions wherein amount has been debited from their accounts through fraudulent ways/extortion.

He advised people not to accept calls from unknown numbers, not to accept friend request from unknown on their Facebook, Instagram or other social accounts and fall prey to promises of lottery/gift from a foreign country for which they have to pay customs duty/taxes for underweighment, extortion with WhatsApp calls that they were found to be involved in evacuation of narcotics in courier sent by them or their friend to them.

The city police had busted a case last year wherein the fraudsters collected bank account details of some unemployed youth with the promise of jobs and sold them to others for illegal transactions by applying for new PAN cards based on their Aadhar card PDF. Through these mule accounts, crores of rupees transaction was made in betting and hawala Another person, an Intermediate dropout was arrested from a five star hotel here by the Mumbai police, for taking people for a ride by promising huge amounts through hawala/cryptocurrency.

Reserve Bank of India Regional Director AO Basheer said at a recent awareness programme that they have undertaken an awareness programme through multiple modes to sensitise people to get away from the clutches of cyber crooks.