Receiving calls from unknown numbers, including those originating in foreign countries such as Pakistan and eastern European countries, has become a common feature. Some even call up and try to communicate in their native tongue.
According to the police, there is nothing to worry about these calls, as they are just done by a few pranksters, but one should be careful in not prolonging the call or giving any information, including one’s name and address.
“It is always better to avoid a call, when the number on the display screen begins with the plus sign. They are international calls and unless and until the number or the country code is known, it is better to avoid it. After a few such calls, the caller will get vexed up and stop calling,” says Cyber Cell Inspector K. Satyanarayana Rao.
But one should be extremely cautious about the calls from fake insurance companies and banks.
“There is a national-level racket, which is being operated from Delhi and Gurgaon. The callers claim to be agents from reputed banks and insurance companies and try to extract details from gullible persons and then swindle money through the Internet banking process,” says the inspector.
In the last three months, the Cyber Crime cell detected about 20 such fraud cases. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) S. Varada Raju has cautioned that one should not divulge any details to such callers, though they are very convincing. “One thing is clear that as per rules no bank or insurance company call up to get any personal details. They will either send an authorised employee or ask you to visit their nearest branch office,” says Mr. Varada Raju.
With the police cracking down on drunken drivers, the tipsy drivers are inventing ways to evade the former.
Earlier, the police were positioning themselves at some key junctions, and the drivers having mapped their locations, would change their route. To tide over this issue, the police also started to change their check-posts at random and it paid dividends, as more drunken drivers were caught.
Now the drivers have gone hi-tech. They are using various applications such as WhatsApp to get an early warning signal.
According to ADCP (Traffic) Mahendra Patrudu, the position of the police patrol is going viral on the application and the drivers are changing their routes.
It is learnt that even the police are now planning to use mobile squads to catch the tipsy drivers.
