Thiruvananthapuram: In an aggressive operation launched by the cyber crime branch of Kerala police against cyber fraudsters has resulted into deactivation of more than 300 SIM cards and the takedown of nearly 100 fraudulent websites engaged in various economic offenses.
It is Kerala’s most extensive crackdown on cybercrime to date. Proactive measures have been taken by the law enforcement in order to curb the growing threat of online scams.
A four-member specialized team named ‘Hunters’ is at the forefront of this operation. Armed with cutting-edge software and guided by invaluable feedback from victims, the ‘Hunters’ have managed to track down and deactivate SIM cards utilized by fraudsters. With collaboration with the Department of Telecommunications, the specialized team has been able to block the compromised SIM cards, rendering them useless for communication.
Apart from blocking the SIM cards, the ‘Hunters’ team has also made significant strides in dismantling fraudulent websites, the primary platform for many cyber scams. The websites pretend to be phony e-commerce platforms promising unrealistically cheap goods, and have been instrumental in conning innocent individuals into making upfront payments. By eliminating nearly 100 of these deceptive websites, law enforcement is directly striking at the heart of the scammers’ operations.
Cyber Crimes SP Hari Sankar said, “This proactive approach will serve as a potent deterrent, significantly increasing the operational costs for fraudsters. Deactivating the SIM cards will also render the mobile phones unusable for making calls or connecting to any mobile network. So basically, phones cannot be used for communication purposes any more.” He also said that this was the first time that the police were taking such proactive offensive measures against cyber fraudsters and scammers.
The deactivation of SIM cards alone will hurt fraudsters as procuring the cards using fabricated documents cost them thousands of rupees. A source said the police’s role in tackling cyber financial frauds used to be limited earlier. “Our role was mostly confined to informing banks about frauds, getting them to freeze the accounts of fraudsters and trying to get back the amount duped from victims, if possible. Now, we have stepped up our game. Since the offensive action has a direct financial implication, we feel we are sending a strong message to the scammers,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, the police will hold a meeting of representatives of various banks, e-wallet companies and service providers to discuss ways to deal with online financial fraud. A senior officer said about 140 representatives are expected to attend the online meeting in which the police will apprise them of the need for swift action. “In several cases, it was noticed that banks delayed freezing the accounts of the offenders despite being issued notices. By the time they act, the fleeced amount might have been withdrawn,” said the officer.
