Scammers duping Himachal people by using fake Army app

Shimla, August 26

Cyber criminals, who keep on finding innovative ways to scam people, are now targeting people through a fake app. Under this new scam, the criminals lure innocent people by making them register on a fake Indian Army app for which they charge Rs 50 as registration fees. The scammers further ask the people to enter sensitive information like personal details, along with bank details, to dupe them by using this information.

Modus operandi

• The criminals lure innocent people by making them register on a fake Indian Army app for which they charge Rs 50 as registration fees.
• The scammers further ask the people to enter sensitive information like personal details, along with bank details, to dupe them by using this information.

The Cyber Cell of Himachal Pradesh Police has issued an advisory regarding this new scam. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Cybercrime Mohit Chawla said people should refrain from downloading any suspicious applications and should also not click on unidentified links as it was likely a trap to dupe the people of their money. He added that people should enquire about any unknown application before downloading it.

The DIG also advised the people to not to share financial details with anyone and to immediately report any incident related to cybercrime by dialling 1930, a 24x7 helpline number.

“There is a need to create awareness amongst the people to tackle cybercrimes that are on the rise in the state. The scammers keeps on changing their tactics to dupe the people of their money. These criminals either lure the victims on the pretext of exorbitant returns as seen in many cases of fake trading and investing apps or by threatening them by posing as a government official like a CID officer or police personnel, therefore, awareness is the key to remain safe from such scams,” said the DIG.

Recently, Himachal Pradesh Police has also linked the cybercrime helpline number (1930) with National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) to ensure effective and quick redress of cybercrime cases. With this, people can now register their complaint within 15 to 20 minutes.