Odisha Police Warns Against Creating Fake Social Media Profiles

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police has warned the people of creating fake social media profiles as it would attract punishment under the law.

In its official Twitter handle, Odisha Police stated that creating fake accounts is a cybercrime and a punishable offence.

“Making fake profile of anyone or impersonation on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. is cybercrime and a punishable offence,” said the tweet.

The people have also been asked to register such cybercrimes at the nearest police station or online at http://cybercrime.gov.in .

It is pertinent to mention that cybercriminals have swindled more than Rs 120 crore from Odisha over the last four years while police have arrested over 20 fraudsters for their alleged involvement in cybercrimes.

The state has reported several cases of cybercrime in recent years. There has also been a rise in such frauds in the State Capital over the last two years. About 146 cases of cybercrime were reported under Bhubaneswar Urban Police District in 2021 compared to 108 in 2020.

According to statistics from Odisha Police, the number of cybercrime cases saw a huge spike from 385 in 2015 to 2,037 in 2021, a whopping increase of 492% during the period.

Police sources said cases of unidentified cyber crooks cheating victims through fake KYC-related calls by impersonating banks or insurance companies, offering them high returns through different schemes, online trading and installation of mobile towers constitute the bulk of cybercrimes in Odisha. In most cases, the scammers targeted senior citizens or those who do not use technology despite being educated.