According to the latest data released by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under Department of IT, a total of 508 phishing cases were reported in 2010. The figures for the first 10 months of current year (January-October 2011) stood at 386.

 Phishing is carried out by e-mail spoofing or instant messaging and it often directs users to enter details on a fake website that looks almost identical to the legitimate one. “A large number of phishing incidents leading to hacking of bank accounts have also been reported,” Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot.

As per the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau, cyber crime cases have gone up from 217 in 2007 to 966 in 2010. “A total 966 cases were registered under IT Act during the year 2010 as compared to 420 cases during the previous year (2009),” says the report.

Of the total registered cases 15.8 per cent have been reported from Karnataka alone,” the report said.

Kerala records 148 cases, Maharashtra 142 and AP 105. It is 52 each in case of Rajasthan and Punjab, the NCRB 2010 report said. “The government is constantly upgrading our anti-cyber crime equipments,” Pilot told Deccan Herald.