The cyber cell of the city police has urged parents to keep a watchful eye on children to avoid the misuse of smartphones for paid online games. In the wake of such recent incidents, the police also asked parents to closely monitor children during online classes which often turn out to be a convenient time for gaming activities.
Officials with the cyber cell said a woman from Kozhikode city recently lost ₹1 lakh from her bank account after two of her high school children played a paid online game using her phone. She had filed a complaint with the cyber cell after she lost the money. The cyber cell probe revealed the involvement of her children in it.
Police sources said the paid game was played by three children, including her relative’s son. The amount was deducted from the account in different intervals. The complainant had initially thought that it was the trickery of some banking fraudsters, they said.
In a similar incident which took place at Areekode in Malappuram district, a woman had lost ₹1 lakh. It was her son who used the money for playing a paid online game. The incident came to light when the woman, who was also a teacher, approached the cyber cell for action.
A cyber cell official said many children were found clicking spam links received through WhatsApp and other social media applications offering cheap purchase of costly gadgets. There should be proper vigil on the part of parents to ensure the security of their smartphones by restricting access to important social media or banking applications, he said.
