Cybercrimes in India (Covid-19 Trends): All You Need to Know

This article on ‘CYBERCRIMES IN INDIA (RECENT TRENDS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC)‘ is written by Hemlata Mali, a 2nd year student from Thakur Ramnarayan College of Law, Mumbai University and an intern at Legal Upanishad.

Introduction

As it is said, everything has pros and cons. In a similar way, the Internet in this COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing for students and working people, but somewhere there are some criminal minds using the Internet for their illegal, never-ending malicious wants.

Cybercrime is the criminal activity in which the main tools are electronic media and computers through which crimes take place. Cybercrimes cover hacking, phishing, credit/debit card fraud, bank-related fraud, illegal things being done, pornography, scams, viruses, etc. Cybercrime is increasing immensely.

Nowadays, in the ongoing period of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime is rising as there are people who are working from home, and this is a major reason for cybercrimes in India. So, in this article, the author states the recent trends in the field of cybercrimes in India that were developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the remedies to fight cybercrimes.

Types of Cybercrimes in India

Various types of Cybercrimes in India are as follows:

Hacking:

Hacking is said to be an unlawful activity which is a cybercrime committed for financial gain, to gather information, and sometimes done for fun. Hacking is done through computers and laptops and is known as a heinous crime.

Cyber Terrorism:

Terrorism committed in cyberspace is known as “cyber terrorism.” This kind of terrorism is conducted through the internet by attacking the computers of various governments and people and stealing their significant information.

Web Jacking:

Web jacking is the use of a fraudulent website in the victim’s phone to gain access to the victim’s personal data, which can then be altered or used for the criminal’s benefit. It’s a way of harassing the victim by using electronic communication and sending threatening messages regarding their data.

Cyber Embezzlement:

Employees of the firm are the most likely to perform cyber embezzlement since, they have legal access to the company’s website and all of its information. Such a crime is done in order to raise the employee’s compensation or remuneration.

Email Spoofing:

Email spoofing hides the original email message address and sends a message from the fraudulent email address. Spam is created in this way, and when a person clicks on the link mentioned in the email, his information is stolen without him knowing anything.

Recent Trends in Cybercrimes in India during the Covid-19 pandemic

In this global COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime has increased extremely in India. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, stated that “Cybercrimes have gone up by almost 500% in India during the global pandemic. We need to consider the emerging threats from new technologies such as drones, ransomware, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and also the role of nation-states in such cyber-attacks. The lockdown, which witnessed the deeper adoption of interconnected devices and a hybrid work environment, has increased our dependence on technology. This renders us digitally more vulnerable than ever before.”

An increase was observed in the cybercrime cases of fake news on social media, cyberstalking, bullying of women and children, fake profiles, and data theft. The rise was followed by sexual exploitation and extortion.

Amid the COVI-19 pandemic, India has become one of the favorite destinations for cyber-criminals. There have been various monetary frauds through online debit and credit card transactions. As the country was on lockdown, everyone preferred buying grocery items, important kinds of stuff, masks, sanitizers, etc., from the online stores, where the fraudsters got a chance to steal and gain monetary benefits.

While people were losing their jobs, spammers were committing cybercrimes and earning money. In addition, many people in need of work were duped by fake websites and fake jobs.

As per the news reported by The Indian Express, two men were held in Delhi in a cybercrime case. They revealed that in the last one and a half years, they have deceived plenty of people in the name of providing jobs. They had tricked two city women, Deepika and Chetna, of Sector 23. The two were looking for jobs online and had come across an ad on OLX for vacancies in airlines. These men were identified as Abhishek, 24, who had studied till Class 12, and Anil Yadav, 23, a B.Com graduate, who were arrested in Delhi.

At least 15 cell phones and two laptops were recovered from them. They confessed to cheating people by uploading fake vacancies on OLX and procuring charges, including processing and interview fees, from applicants. The complainants had given Rs. 60,000 to the accused. The accused used to destroy SIM cards after using them once for cheating.

Remedies to fight Cybercrimes

Though there are many cyber laws for the protection of people from cybercrimes, people should, at their personal level, be careful regarding online transactions, fraud, and spam. So, one should protect their computers, laptops, smartphones, and all other electronic communication platforms. A person must install firewall and antivirus applications for protection purposes. These applications were for security software.

One should make sure that their password is strong enough and unique enough that no one can guess it. Usually, people keep their birth dates and common names as passwords, which makes it easy for hackers to hack. Also, one should change his passwords every ninety days.

Never click on any link messaged or emailed from any unknown or suspicious source. As a result of your one-click, you may encounter difficulties.

Review your bank card details and change the pin if you find anything wrong. Keep updating your details and cross-check with the bank.

Do not keep your passwords or any kind of personal data on the desktop, which can be viewed easily. Keep your digital data well organised and keep deleting unnecessary data.

Suggestions

A person should not disclose information on public websites.
A person should avoid sending photographs to strangers on social media platforms, even when asked for employment.
A person should not mention their card details on unsecured websites; it may be a trap.

Conclusion

The author concludes by stating that we are a generation born into the digital world. Nowadays, everything starts on the internet and ends there. Due to the increasing rate of cybercrime, one should be careful and protect their devices from fraudsters and cyber-criminals. So, strict laws should be made for cybercrimes and should be updated timely.