Context

• Cyber crime is on the rise in India, with an average of over 7,000 complaints per day as of May this year.
• In view of this, the Home Ministry has issued an alert regarding new methods of cyber crime.

Key Points

• India is facing a surge in cyber crime, with an average of more than 7,000 complaints per day till May this year.
• Many cyber fraudsters targeting India are operating from key locations in Southeast Asia, including Pursat, Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, Kandal, Bavet and Poipet in Cambodia. Whereas Thailand; And places like Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko of Myanmar are also included.
• The increasing trend in cyber crime is clear, with complaints increasing by 113.7% from 2021 to 2022 and 60.9% from 2022 to 2023.
• In fact, cyber thugs are now extorting money from people in the name of government agencies i.e. police officers, CBI, Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank, Enforcement Directorate and other agencies by threatening blackmail and digital arrest.
• In these cases, fraudsters usually call the potential victim and tell them that the victim has sent or received a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or some other prohibited item.
• Sometimes they also inform that someone close or dear to the victim has been found involved in some crime or accident and is in their custody. In such alleged cases, money is demanded for settlement.

Digital Arrest

• In some cases, victims face 'digital arrest' and are forced to remain available to fraudsters on Skype or other video conferencing platforms until their demands are met. 
• These fraudsters specialize in using studios modeled after police stations and government offices and wear uniforms to appear genuine.

 Cyber crime becomes organized crime

• Cyber crime has today taken the form of an organized economic crime which is operated by cross-border crime syndicates.
• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs works to combat and prevent cyber crime in the country.

Home Ministry's efforts to prevent cyber crime

• The organization works closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs, other ministries and their agencies, RBI and other organizations to combat online fraud.
• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center also provides inputs and technical assistance to the police officers of states and union territories to identify and investigate cyber crime cases.
• I4C, in collaboration with Microsoft, has also blocked over 1000 Skype IDs involved in such activities.
• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center has also issued various alerts through infographics and videos on its social media platform ‘Cyberdost X’, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.
• Citizens are advised to beware of such frauds and spread awareness about them. Upon receiving such calls, citizens are advised to immediately report to cyber crime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for assistance.

Government initiatives to tackle cyber crimes in India

• Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C)
• National Cyber Forensic Laboratory
• CyTrain Portal
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
• Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System
• Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme
• Joint Cyber Coordination Team
• Central assistance for modernization of police

Important Facts For Exam

CERT-In

• It is a nodal agency tasked with tackling cyber security threats like hacking and phishing.
• Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
• CERT-In has been operational since January 2004.

Functions of CERT-In

• As per the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008, CERT-In has been designated as the national agency to perform the following functions in the field of cyber security:
• Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents.
• Forecasting and alerting cyber security incidents.
• Emergency measures to deal with cyber security incidents.
• Coordination of cyber incident response activities etc.