People advised to be alert as cybercriminals adopt new tactics

Ongole: Prakasam district SP A R Damodar warned the public about new cheating methods adopted by cyber criminals to evade detection while stealing money using stolen phones.

The SP explained in a note that the criminals are approaching the CSC points, Meeseva centres or money transfer agents claiming that their phone is switched off, and a friend or relative will transfer to the PhonePe or Google Pay accounts of the shop owners for paying him in cash.

After the shop owner agrees, the cybercriminals use Artificial Intelligence to clone the voice of a targeted person and call the relatives or friends of the person to request money claiming that he is involved in an emergency.

He said that the criminals are giving the PhonePe or Google Pay number of the shop owner and withdrawing it in no time. He said that enticed by the commission on the transaction, the shop owners often handed over the cash transferred to them to the person, without verifying any ID, using apps installed on stolen phones. He said that when the actual victim files a cybercrime complaint, the shop owner’s receiving account gets blocked.

To prevent falling victim to such scams, the SP advised the shops offering banking services must install CCTV cameras.

He asked them to verify their Aadhaar and PAN cards before dispensing the cash and double-check account details and the identity of the person requesting money. He warned them to never give cash to someone claiming a friend or owner will transfer funds online. The SP warned that ignoring the precautions could lead to their account blocks and potential legal consequences.

SP Damodar explained to the public to be wary of the criminals at ATMs offering to transfer money via PhonePe in exchange for cash withdrawals. He advised them to be wary of calls from unknown numbers claiming to be relatives. He asked them to verify urgent money requests through video calls or by contacting known numbers. He alerted them to report cybercrimes to 1930 or file complaints at www.cybercrime.gov.in immediately.