Cybercriminals target seniors and new users of technology

In 2020, Bengaluru recorded the highest number of cybercrimes for any city in India

Elderly persons and first-generation technology users are the most vulnerable when it comes to cybercrime, say experts.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bengaluru has the maximum number of cybercrimes — 8,892 — registered in 2020 (see box).

A majority of these are computer-related offences, punishable under Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

Elderly victims

Identity theft cases comprise 33% of the total number and cheating by virtual impersonation contributes 62% of the total cases.

Lack of awareness is one of the biggest reasons for the extent of crime, says Pranav M B, communications lead, Centre of Internet and Society.

“This is often the case in elderly people. Most people keep track of political developments, and they should also be encouraged to keep track of technology and cybersecurity trends,” he says.

Victims are most likely individuals rather than companies, says Chetaan N T, founder of Vulhunt, a cybersecurity platform. First generation digital users, like the elderly who have just shifted to online payments, are easy targets. “For them, it is difficult to understand if it is an authorised person or a fraud asking for payment,” he explains.

IT professionals and youngsters are considerably not so vulnerable. “A majority of victims are 40-plus. Also, bigger amounts are lost as senior citizens live on interest earned from bank deposits,” he says.

Sometimes, even well-educated professionals like doctors and teachers fall prey to such crimes. Chetaan says that 60% of such cases don’t get reported at all. “Most people are not aware about how and where to report such crimes. Unless the amount is high, they don’t report it at all,” he observes.

Variety of crimes

Victims change according to the crime, says a senior police official with the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Crime Police Station.

“Women are targets in scams with lures of gifts, where the criminal (often in a virtual relationship with the women) requests money for customs clearance of gifts. Young men, 20- to 30-year-olds, get scammed by job or loan frauds. KYC detail scams usually target people above 50,” he says.

During the pandemic, scammers lured many with medicines and vaccination delivery calls. “During lockdowns, some were lured with alcohol delivery calls,” he says.

The well-known actor Shabana Azmi was among those scammed by a man who claimed to deliver liquor.

Crime break-up

Police authorities in Bengaluru have registered 8,892 cybercrime cases in 2020.

Computer related offences: 8,625 (including Identity theft 3,003 and cheating by impersonation 5,535)

Other
crimes

Intimate content crimes: 248

Tampering computer source documents: 2

Miscellaneous: 17

Total: 8,892 cases

‘Hub of victims, not crimes’

A senior police official with the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Crime Police Station says Bengaluru is a hub of victims and not cybercriminals. Most perpetrators are based in Uttar Pradesh, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, Jamtara in Jharkhand, and Pune. “Almost 90% of the accused persons are in north India,” he says. Sometimes, people who search for customer care numbers on Google end up unwittingly connecting with cybercriminals, he adds.

Digitisation effect

Apar Gupta, executive director of Internet Freedom Foundation, says the rise in such crimes could be due to a high degree of digitisation and economic activity in Bengaluru.

What are computer-related offences?

They include unauthorised accessing of computers and networks, altering or stealing data, and causing damage.

Examples

Gaining access to bank details and taking a large loan, or making multiple transactions, leaving the genuine account holder in debt.

Hacking into social media accounts, claiming to be in distress, and seeking money.

Low ransomware cases

Ransomware cases are most likely underreported, according to Chetaan N T, cybersecurity professional. “Worldwide figures suggest that ransomware crime is rising. Perhaps companies are not complaining because they are worried about their reputation,” he says.