JOIN USThe next time your Facebook friends ask why you are posting objectionable content on their walls, be very, very cautious.
For, you might just be under attack by cyber criminals, a bunch now getting dangerous right here in Karnataka. Here’s one proof: Thirty-six cases have been registered at the State’s Cyber Crime Police Station here this year alone, a steep rise from the first quarter of 2012.
Twenty-eight year-old software professional from Basavanagudi, Rajesh K (name changed) was a clear victim. He had the shock of his life, when colleagues and friends wondered why he was posting malicious content, a deed he was totally unaware of. He immediately lodged an online complaint with the cyber crime police and altered his account once he was convinced that it was hacked. “I initially thought that this was being done by my friends for fun. But later when my friends asked me why am I posting such content on their sites, I got a bit suspicious.”
In the first three months of 2012, the Cyber police did not register more than 20 cases. “The total number of cases for the whole year was 63 in the State, last year. As the number of Facebook users is growing in the State, the cases are also increasing steadily. This year, the complainants are mostly youth in the age group of 18- 35 years (both girls and boys),” a Cyber Crime official told Deccan Herald.
Fifteen of the 36 cases registered this year were resolved by tracing the hacker’s Uniform Resource Locator (URL), also known as web address. Most of the complaints registered dealt with the impersonation or fake profiles, hacking, inappropriate content and links pasted on the Facebook wall.
Regular Facebook users have now become wary about their account and information they feed on the social website. Smaran M, a class X student from St Josephs Boys High School, said: “Till date, I have not faced any problems as such but I make sure not to accept any anonymous requests.
Also, one should never give their personal details such as mobile numbers, address and other related information. Using the block list application under privacy settings also helps the users to some extent to avoid the mischief mongers.”