Kolkata police to reach out and counsel cyber victims, issues advisory

Kolkata's Commissioner of Police, Vineet Kumar Goyal, has issued an order to all personnel to reach out to victims of cyber fraud and provide them with counseling and hand-holding. The move comes in the wake of an increasing number of cyber fraud cases reported in the city.

According to the police, the sheer number of victims and the different ruses to which they have fallen prey indicates the need for counseling and hand-holding. The police are now preparing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all personnel to ensure that the victims get the help they need.

To further prevent such crimes from occurring, the police have also issued an advisory that includes several precautions people can take to protect themselves. The advisory states that individuals should block unwanted calls or texts, refrain from giving out personal or financial information, avoid downloading unchecked apps, be cautious before scanning any QR code in the public area, and not act immediately when someone asks for personal information or money.

A recent example of cyber fraud in Kolkata involves a scam where a fraudster posed as a bank official and called an elderly woman, telling her that her bank account had been hacked. The fraudster then convinced the woman to share her account details and transferred Rs. 50,000 from her account to a different one.

Following the Commissioner of Police's order, the police will now answer reasonable queries, explain what is holding up the return of cheated amounts, and try to ensure that the victims keep hope in the investigation.

The move is a welcome one for the people of Kolkata who have been plagued by cyber fraud cases for some time now. With the police taking steps to address the issue, it is hoped that the number of such incidents will go down in the future.