India: Complaints of identity theft and fake profiles up by 53.8% in Delhi, says report

A recent report has revealed a 53.8 per cent increase in the complaints of fake profiles and theft in the Indian capital New Delhi this year, the Times of India citing Delhi Police data reported.

Till August 2023, some 2,721 complaints of fake profiles or impersonation and 2,959 complaints of profile hacking and identity theft have been registered.

During the same period in 2022, a total of 1,717 complaints of fake profiles and impersonations were reported.Furthermore, 1,976 complaints of profile hacking and identity theft were registered in the national capital.

Some fraudsters also pose as law officials

A cop told TOI that in case of fake profile cases, the accused creates a fictitious profile and dupes people. "In several cases, the accused posed as foreigners and created fake profiles on various websites. They then lured potential victims, especially women, by promising to marry them or sending them gifts from abroad," the official added.

The official further stated that there have been numerous cases where the fraudsters posedas law enforcement officials and duped people, threatening them with 'legal action.' In some cases, the accused also creates fake websites of companies and lures people under the pretext of good investments. After taking money they delete the websites.

The officials advise people to always verify the person to whom they are sending money.

Personal info used for 'identity theft'

In the cases of identity theft cases, the accused steals the personal information of the victim and commits unauthorised transactions.

The cop said, "There are cases where scammers got personal details of people and availed instant loans in their names."

The report adds that there have been several cases where the accused made phone calls to their victims and pretended to be relatives living abroad asking for money for emergencies.

"They ask for small amounts so that no one gets suspicious, " police said. They added that the fraudster also cheats companies through identity theft.

"They send phishing emails to companies by posing as their business partner or senior officers and seeking money transfers. Before sending the money, the person should call the company and verify the email."

The department advised peoplenot to share their personal information with anyone, to regularly change their passwords and to select two-step verification.

(With inputs from agencies)

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