‘Like’ it or not: How Telangana DGP Ravi Gupta ‘narrowly escaped’ giving a slip to cybercrime cons?

HYDERABAD: Telangana DGP Ravi Gupta clicked “like” button on a social media platform and escaped losing just a small amount.

Lured by lucre? Yes. He pretended so. He postured as though he had believed money would come for the “like” like anybody.

The DGP narrated, with a sheepish smile on his face, how “narrowly he had escape” from a cyber criminal's fraud and cleverly gave the cons a slip. Speaking at a conference held to create awareness of cyber fraud on Friday at the Command Control Centre, the DGP shared his experience of being victimised by cybercriminals.

The DGP said he had got a message from cyber criminals while he was sitting at an airport saying that they would pay money for ‘liking’ the videos. He was tempted and received Rs. 150. He said that he held two bank accounts, including one zero balance account, and noted that the criminals backed off themselves after seeing his bank account balance was too low. They actually had expected that his bank account would have a lot of money. But, he had cleverly given them an account that had no balance.

Mr Gupta highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant and taking precautionary measures against cyber criminals. He emphasised that no matter how alert one was, these criminals could find new ways to deceive people.

Cyber Security Bureau Director Shika Goyal highlighted the shift in criminal activities from physical robberies to cyber fraud. She said that while homes were relatively safer from traditional theft, people in every household were now at risk of falling victim to cyber fraud. She cautioned people not to respondi to messages and links sent by criminals to ensure one's security.