Late reporting of cyber fraud affects money recovery: Cops | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Delayed reporting of cyber fraud incidents significantly reduces the likelihood of recovering stolen money, according to police data. Police records revealed that due to late filing of complaints in Bhubaneswar, authorities could retrieve only Rs 1.91 crore from a total sum of Rs 13.75 crore swindled by fraudsters during the past three months.
DCP Jagmohan Meena, while returning the recovered money to cybercrime victims at a special function here on Wednesday, said, “We normally find it difficult to recover the money defrauded if the victims report the matter late. Before approaching police stations, they should immediately dial 1930 and share details about the accounts to which they transferred money so that the accounts can be blocked and money frozen.”
According to Meena, the Union home ministry’s cybercrime reporting portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in) serves as the first line of defence, triggering account freezes when complaints are filed.
Apart from delayed crime reporting, police face another challenge — use of fraudulent or mule accounts by scammers, and transfer of money to multiple accounts at lightning speed, are posing hurdles for cops to recover the money.
“The scammers use pre-activated SIMs registered in names of fictitious people, making it difficult for police to trace them. The mule accounts create another layer to the crime and make it even harder to keep track of the money. Hence we have such a low return rate. They even quickly convert the money into digital currency. At times, lack of prompt coordination with police of other states from where fraudsters operate poses hurdles,” another police officer said.
During the refund ceremony, police officers noticed most victims were unaware of the 1930 helpline and cybercrime portal. “Many victims often hesitate whether or not to report to the police. At the first step, they should dial 1930 (service available round-the-clock) and share all relevant and correct details. They should later lodge police complaints,” DCP Meena advised.
Officers emphasised that obtaining an FIR copy is crucial, as victims require the document to initiate legal proceedings for fund recovery in court.
“The nature of these crimes, combined with jurisdictional challenges and the rapid movement of funds to multiple accounts, continues to make full recovery a challenge for victims,” Binayak Sahoo, a cyber safety campaigner, said.
DCP Jagmohan Meena, while returning the recovered money to cybercrime victims at a special function here on Wednesday, said, “We normally find it difficult to recover the money defrauded if the victims report the matter late. Before approaching police stations, they should immediately dial 1930 and share details about the accounts to which they transferred money so that the accounts can be blocked and money frozen.”
According to Meena, the Union home ministry’s cybercrime reporting portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in) serves as the first line of defence, triggering account freezes when complaints are filed.
Apart from delayed crime reporting, police face another challenge — use of fraudulent or mule accounts by scammers, and transfer of money to multiple accounts at lightning speed, are posing hurdles for cops to recover the money.
“The scammers use pre-activated SIMs registered in names of fictitious people, making it difficult for police to trace them. The mule accounts create another layer to the crime and make it even harder to keep track of the money. Hence we have such a low return rate. They even quickly convert the money into digital currency. At times, lack of prompt coordination with police of other states from where fraudsters operate poses hurdles,” another police officer said.
During the refund ceremony, police officers noticed most victims were unaware of the 1930 helpline and cybercrime portal. “Many victims often hesitate whether or not to report to the police. At the first step, they should dial 1930 (service available round-the-clock) and share all relevant and correct details. They should later lodge police complaints,” DCP Meena advised.
Officers emphasised that obtaining an FIR copy is crucial, as victims require the document to initiate legal proceedings for fund recovery in court.
“The nature of these crimes, combined with jurisdictional challenges and the rapid movement of funds to multiple accounts, continues to make full recovery a challenge for victims,” Binayak Sahoo, a cyber safety campaigner, said.
