Chennaites lost Rs 189 cr this year to cyber fraud, reporting crime on NCRP essential: Police
Out of the 1,679 cybercrime cases reported in Chennai, 1,589 were financial cybercrime cases in which the public was cheated through various cyber scams
CHENNAI: Since January this year, Chennai public have lost up to Rs 189 crore to cyber fraudsters, said city police. Those who have lost money to online scams have been advised to first register the crime on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) through the helpline number 1930 or the website http://cybercrime.gov.in to freeze the money in the suspicious bank account, which can help in the recovery process, cops added.
Out of the 1,679 cybercrime cases reported in Chennai this year, 1,589 were financial cybercrime cases in which the public was cheated through various cyber scams such as online share trading, digital arrest-Fed Ex/courier/TRAI, Skype, online part-time jobs, matrimonial gifts, EB bill scams, etc.
Chennai Police Commissioner A Arun has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for investigating officers to streamline the process of recovering money from online financial frauds.
"An acknowledgment number of the NCRP sets the process of freezing the suspicious bank accounts involved in the crime and therefore it is of utmost importance for a victim of cybercrime to register in NCRP," an official release stated.
The city police also referenced a recent Madras High Court circular advising judicial officers that the recovery process of money lost in financial cybercrimes can be started based on the complaint registered in NCRP, followed by a report submitted by the cybercrime police without insisting on an FIR.
Based on the NCRP acknowledgment and the cyber police report, victims can file a petition under section 503 BNSS in their jurisdictional court to claim the amount frozen in suspect bank accounts without waiting for an FIR to be registered.