The biggest worry in this century is cyber crime; it is on the rise across the globe and cyber criminals are always a few step ahead of the law enforcing agencies through their ever evolving innovative modus operandi.
In Visakhapatnam, the cyber crime has taken a new high, and the city police is grappling with the modus operandi. The criminals are now using the reputed e-commerce sites to con the gullible.
In a recent case, a person saw an advertisement in one of the prominent e-commerce sites that specialises in ‘buy and sell’ of second hand goods. The advertisement was for a high-end phone. When the buyer contacted the seller and negotiated a rate, the sellers asked ₹2,000 as advance for confirmation of the deal. Thinking that it was genuine, the buyer made an e-transfer of the money to the seller’s bank account, only to be never heard again.
In another case, after paying an advance of ₹10,000, the buyer received a call one day from a person who posed as Custom officer and was told to pay another ₹25,000 towards Custom duty and clearance. The buyer immediately transferred the money and was conned.
While some are happening at pan-India level, wherein the criminals are perched in some safe haven, at local level also such crimes have taken place but in a bit different way, said DCP K. Fakkeerappa.
In a couple of cases in the city, the seller was at the receiving end. The seller was asked by the buyer to meet at a common place and when the gullible seller approached the buyer, he was mugged and his phone or merchandise that he intended to sell was snatched away.
Mufti police
After receiving a couple of such complaints, a police team in mufti impersonated as the seller of a high-end phone and posted an advertisement in a reputed website. The fraudster took the bait, and contacted the seller and fixed a rendezvous. When the seller (a police officer in mufti) approached the buyer at the designated place, the accused tried to threaten and snatch the phone, but was caught by team present there.
‘Everything planned’
Everything in this modus operandi is fake, the advertisement, the name, address and bank accounts. The criminals give honest picture of the deal and people are falling prey, said Mr. Fakkeerappa.
And so far about 25 such e-commerce frauds have been registered at the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell.
Legal notice
Keeping the rise in such fraud cases in mind, the City Police legal cell is working to address the website owners legally.
Some responsibility has to be fixed on the site owners. When contacted, the site owners simply said that theirs is a platform to host advertisement and there is no contractual obligation and all obligations are between the seller and the buyer, said Mr. Ramakrishna, Legal officer of the City Police.
It just can’t be like what we see at cinema theatre parking, which says ‘parking at owner’s risk, there must be a mechanism to stop the fraudsters or responsibility fixed on the site owners, and that is what we are likely to address in the notice, said DCP Fakkeerappa.
Website version
When The Hindu contacted a senior person in an e-commerce site, the response was similar but he pointed out, “As per our norms there is no advance payment and the payment is upfront on delivery. This itself is a check and people should not fall prey to such advertisements or deals that ask for advance.”
