Open House: Cases of fraudsters posing as cops are on the rise. What steps should the police take to prevent such scams?

Keep tabs on criminals

In an effort to prevent scams, the police must immediately depute trained IT staff, besides punishing the offenders by submitting challan in courts. In majority of such cases, officials’ failure to submit complete documents in courts has resulted in the acquittal of the miscreants. In addition, officials must keep tabs on those who had earlier been booked or arrested in fraud cases. One must not forget that public awareness also plays a significant role in avoiding any such frauds.

Kirpal Singh, Chandigarh

Avoid unknown calls

Keeping in view the fact that there has been a rise in the number of cybercrimes, citizens are scared that they might fall prey to fraud at any time. The fraudsters now are well-trained. Being well aware of this, the police are doing a good job as now, many cybercrime control cells have been set up. Officials can further take steps to make public more aware of the ways adopted by the miscreants. Infact, one should avoid attending unknown calls.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

Award 10-year jail term to convicts

The existing laws should be amended, and the convicts in such cases should be sentenced to 10-20 years in jail without bail or parole on any ground. The meagre punishment which is being currently awarded emboldens such criminals to indulge in fraudulent activities after getting bail or on the completion of token punishment. Harsh punishment will have cascading effect on the fraudsters.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Report any suspicious number to police

Nowadays, fraudsters adopt cutting-edge technology to dupe people. They create a sense of panic, convincing individuals that they have been implicated in criminal activities, ultimately extorting large sums of money from them. The reason behind it is that people are not vigilant and alert. The best way to avoid falling prey to any such fraud is to not take unknown calls, and immediately report any such suspicious interaction to the local police or cyber cell.

Capt Amar Jeet, Kharar

Familiarise public with laws

The rise in cases of digital arrest is worrisome. The key to ensuring that people are saved from falling prey to such frauds is to make them aware of the fact that there exists no law which states that a person can be arrested over a phone or video call. No agency in the country, including the CBI, ED, can arrest anyone over the phone. Moreover, as soon as money is demanded, one must realise that it is part of the fraud. In case of suspicion, people must call 1930, which is the national cyber crime helpline number.

Gurnoor Grewal, Chandigarh

Police should focus on capacity building

The police should first focus on capacity building to handle cyber threats effectively. For this, the state government should allot an additional budget to the police departments which will enable them to put their selected manpower through training capsules on cyber law, malware analysis, and digital forensics. This will help the police in overcoming the shortage of skilled personnel on their roles. The police should collaborate with cybersecurity experts to organise workshops and seminars for their staff. They should establish a cyber-crime coordination centre in the city to streamline information sharing and coordination among all stakeholders. The police should be well-versed with the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Brigadier Advitya Madan, Chandigarh

Publish scammers’ names in newspapers

To strengthen efforts against fraudulent calls, publishing scammers’ names and addresses in the newspapers can act as a powerful deterrent. By publicly disclosing the identities of the convicted fraudsters, the authorities can discourage others from engaging in similar crimes. This transparency reinforces accountability and alerts the public about the ongoing risks. Working with telecom providers, implementing public awareness campaigns, and using media for verified disclosures can collectively help in reducing these scams and building trust with the community.

Rajendra Kumar Sharma, Panchkula

Helpline for cops’ identification

The police should launch awareness campaigns highlighting common scam tactics and share verified contact numbers for reporting frauds. Regular community outreach, including workshops and social media alerts, can educate the public on identifying authentic officers. Additionally, a dedicated helpline for verifying police credentials and swift action against impersonators would help deter fraudsters. Empowering citizens with knowledge is the best defence against such mechanisations.

Gaganpreet Singh, Mohali

Collaborate with telecom firms

To combat fraudsters posing as cops, the police should launch awareness campaigns highlighting common scam tactics, besides establishing a dedicated hotline for verification and encouraging public to report suspicious calls. Regular updates on the modus operandi of cyber criminals must be provided on social media platforms and local newspapers, emphasising that real officers never demand immediate payments. In addition, the police should collaborate with telecom companies to block spoofed numbers and enhance caller ID accuracy. These steps can significantly reduce such scams.

Sargunpreet Kaur, Mohali

Strict procedures for online transactions

The police can collaborate on social media platforms to identify and remove fraudulent accounts. They can also organise workshops and seminars to educate the public about cyber security and fraud prevention. Furthermore, they can work with financial institutions to implement stricter verification procedures for online transactions. Finally, they can encourage victims to report such incidents without hesitation, ensuring prompt investigation and action.

Gurdev Singh, Mohali

Join hands with law enforcement agencies

The police can utilise advanced technology such as AI and machine learning to detect and analyse fraudulent patterns in communication and transactions. They can also partner with other law enforcement agencies to share information and coordinate efforts to combat these scams on a larger scale. Lastly, they can regularly update their own protocols and training procedures to stay ahead of evolving fraud tactics and ensure their officers are equipped to handle such cases effectively.

Gurpreet Kaur, Mohali

Strengthen the cybercrime cell

Strengthen the cyber cell of the police by appointing IT professionals as ordinary police officers are not trained to deal with cyber frauds. Make people aware, especially senior citizens, of the methods used by scamsters. Government must make people aware that police, CBI, RBI never make video calls regarding the cases being registered. Strict and quick punishment for scammers will be a deterrent.

Harminder Singh, Chandigarh

Display criminals’ photos online

Fraud cases have increased manifold in the tricity. As a step to discourage scammers from committing the crime, their photographs must be displayed online and in newspapers.

Col TBS Bedi (retd), Mohali

Remain vigilant

Fraudsters impersonating as police officers is commonplace these days. The first thing to do in case one encounters them is to not panic and ask for their identity proof to check whether it is genuine. Being vigilant and having accurate knowledge can save anyone in such situation. Moreover, one should immediately inform the local police in case they come across anyone indulging in fraud.

Malkeet Kaur Virk, Patiala

Need swift action in case of spam calls

Cybercrimes, particularly financial fraud, are on the rise, with fraudsters exploiting social media, mobile phones and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to target unsuspecting individuals, especially the elderly. These criminals use public platforms to trap and loot people’s hard-earned money. Despite the increasing public nature of such crimes, law enforcement often struggles to catch the perpetrators in time. Fraudsters reroute stolen funds through dummy bank accounts, raising concerns about banks’ roles. A national helpline is essential for reporting suspicious messages or digital arrest threats, ensuring swift action against cybercriminals using fake numbers.

Vijay Katyal, Panchkula

Use caller-identification applications

The police must take every such complaint seriously and conduct probe. It must update and circulate the data regarding suspicious numbers and the modus operandi of cybercriminals. National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) help can be sought for this crucial data. In addition, citizens must report such suspicious calls to the police and ensure that they do not take calls from unknown numbers. Caller identification apps such as True Caller can be of great use.

Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh

Adopting proactive measures need of hour

In order to avert scams, law enforcement agencies need to adopt responsive and proactive measures. People should be educated through social media about their modus operandi. A dedicated helpline by telecommunication providers should be provided to catch such callers. All existing and new connections and bank accounts should be checked through field visits to ensure their authenticity. Sting operations should be launched to identify such scamsters.

Harinder Singh Bhalla, Chandigarh

Avoid clicking on unknown links

Respective governments should run public awareness campaigns to make the people aware of fraudulent calls and mails. Those who get such calls should immediately contact the police and block such callers. Many such fraudsters dupe people by using profile photos of IPS officers on their WhatsApp and Truecaller IDs. Cross-questioning in such situations can help a lot. When you start questioning who the nearest SHO is or who the DCP-level officer is of that zone or district, the scammers often fumble since they usually don’t have access to the latest database. Another way to protect oneself from such elements is to frequently change passwords and enable two-factor authentication for sensitive data. Also, people shouldn’t click on links from unknown sources.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Spread awareness on digital safety

The increasing cases of digital arrest have shaken the nation as so many people are falling prey to this online scam. There is dire need to spread awareness regarding digital safety as well-educated people and professionals often the soft targets. With following certain simple steps and safety protocol, one can escape this scam. It is important to stay calm and never share any personal information or financial details over phone calls, WhatsApp calls or video calls. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently shared on ‘Mann ki Baat’ that one has to be aware that legitimate agencies do not conduct such inquiries over calls or demand payment through calls. Any incident or anyone who receives such suspicious call should record the evidence, inform family members and immediately report on the National Cybercrime Helpline.

Shruti K Chawla, Chandigarh

People should act wisely

The masses should be aware enough and proactive in identifying fraudsters. They should not get panic, take a few minutes to think and act wisely not to fall prey to the fraudsters. The police should give tips to public to identify such scams, take suitable action and inform police timely.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Take police officials into confidence

People should not hesitate in taking the police personnel into confidence and share the information regarding the hackers to officials. Since hackers mostly make WhatsApp calls, so people can take screenshots and share it with the police. Last but not the least, one should try to avoid answering unknown calls as the genuine person would again make a call and send you a message, sharing his particulars.

Savita Kuthiala

Set up online reporting mechanism

The use of official apps or websites where citizens can verify the credentials of officers can help people feel more comfortable to verify an officer’s identity and report any suspicious activity. There must be strict penalties for impersonating a police officer and these laws are enforced rigorously. Above all, the police should educate public about the tactics used by scammers. This can include sharing useful information through social media posts and during community meetings.

Anita K Tandon, Mundi Kharar

Hold police-public meetings

A special drive should be undertaken to educate citizens against such attempts by way of police-public meets, and media coverages, both social and visual. The process of grievance redressal should be documented and published widely. The intelligence department should also be activated for gathering the fraudsters’ information.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh

Launch more helpline numbers

Cases of fraudsters posing as cops and duping people by threatening arrest are on the rise. The police should immediately take necessary steps to prevent such scams. Holding awareness drives is the key to averting such scams. More helpline numbers should be made available for people to report fraud.

Adish Sood, Amloh

Publish government data online

Government data should made available online for people to check the true identity of the caller. Secondly, the government should decentralise the power of higher officers among their subordinates, and the power should not be limited to officers. The victim should report to the nearby police station.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

Use cutting-edge technologies

There is a dire need to use cutting-edge technology to tackle cases related to cyber frauds. Even though the police are making efforts to bring about a change, a lot still needs to be done. We have to come out of the colonial mindset and organisational pattern that the police follow till date. One has to use different kinds of technology.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh

Trace numbers of fake callers

The increasing number of cybercrimes targeting senior citizens is concerning event in Chandigarh. The authorities must step in and work with the police to put an end to such crimes. Moreover, it is necessary to spread awareness regarding such frauds in the city through various means so that the elderly people don’t fall victim to these. It is also necessary that a special and operational helpline number is launched and circulated among public. Also, the numbers used in such cases must be traced and blacklisted.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

Question for next week

The city’s air quality has worsened due to stubble burning, vehicular pollution and atmospheric factors. What steps should the administration take to address this issue?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to openhouse@tribunemail.com