In an interesting development, cyber fraudsters have begun targeting politicians. On Thursday, six legislators, including three ministers sent out caution messages across social media platforms to people about fake profiles being created in their name to appeal for money. Money was being asked through various modes including Amazon gift cards. The politicos appealed to constituents, friends and party workers not to fall prey to these messages. Fake WhatsApp profiles were created by fraudsters on Ministers Mauvin Godinho, Rohan Khaunte and Ravi Naik and MLAs Nilesh Cabral, Jeet Arolkar, and Premendra Shet.
The move by cyber fraudsters comes days after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs gave Goa a 5th rank in the country in terms of the percentage of lien amount of total financial frauds reported in September. The success is measured in terms of funds that the cyber team was able to block by freezing the bank accounts of fraudsters. The cyber cell managed to freeze Rs 3.5 crore.
Goa, no doubt has upped its game with an increased staff in cybercrime cell with 800 police personnel being trained to tackle cyber crimes, raising awareness and taking it to educational institutes besides several other initiatives. However, in this relentless chase and the evolving phases of technology where fraudsters resort to newer ways of siphoning money, the cyber teams have an uphill task at hand, not only to track and freeze transactions but to retrieve monies.
Goa has seen an alarming rise in cybercrimes across the years with a 300 per cent rise since 2020 as per records of the National Crime Records Bureau. The State recorded 298 cases between January 2020 and June 2024. While freezing funds is a positive, the backlog of cases and the poor conviction rate are the downsides and probably this is an area where fraudsters are taking comfort in. Fraudsters have literally challenged the system, no matter the success the team is boasting. The very fact that this time influential political leaders, especially ministers, were targeted shows the level of confidence these fraudsters have in themselves.
Cyber crimes have been a cause of concern in Goa for quite some time with several individuals, mostly common citizens conned. The news of politicos came like a bombshell because it was on public figures and well-orchestrated.
With Goa making giant strides into the online world with the government moving towards making public services available at the click of a mouse, the need for a more secure environment is certainly felt. The onus is not only on the government, but on citizens as well because no level of security will be enough if people do not exercise due diligence in their online interaction and be cautious of the looming threats that come with technology.
Goa has a high standard of living with a higher spending power. It cannot afford to be a playground for fraudsters. The government must keep investing in cybersecurity so that its citizens and the credibility of institutions are safeguarded. The introduction of robust cyber security measures is not optional, but imperative. It's time to wake up to the harsh realities of the cyber world.
