Easiest way to file a Cybercrime complaint!

Cybercrime is an evil having its origin in the growing dependence on computers in modern life. There are a wide range of offences that can be committed through communication technology. 

As far back as the early 1990s, the Internet was argued to be a unique medium of showing the fastest speed of diffusion in human history. Today, there are very few people who do not have access to the dynamic advancements in technology in the Internet era. 

Advancements in technology have surely affected our lives in both positive and negative manner. We now enjoy the luxury of the internet through which we can access any information in a matter of minutes. But some people use it as a medium to commit offences and wrongfully gain something or the other out of it. 

What exactly is Cybercrime? Cybercrime is a crime which involves the use of digital technologies in the commission of an offence, The modern techniques that are proliferating towards the use of internet activity result in creating exploitation, vulnerability making a suitable way or environment of transferring confidential data to commit an offence through illegal activities.

All the cybercrimes are governed by a cyber law which is a common term that refers to legal jurisdiction and other ways of preceding regulatory aspects on the internet. The primary law in India dealing with cybercrimes and electronic commerce is The Information Technology Act, 2000, and which is commonly referred to as the IT Act.  

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If a crime involves a computer or network located in India, persons of other nationalities can also be indicted under the IT Act. Whenever an internet development strategy follows, numerous amendments are enforced while it is developed, consequently, numerous legal issues are also developed by illegal activists. 

Cybercrimes amidst COVID-19 The wrongdoers appear to have been taking advantage of India's historic lockdown amidst this pandemic and have launched attacks on some of the key sectors of our country and especially the defense and national security.  Also, a chain of messages in the lockdown was being disseminated that the Jio or the Netflix are provided free or discounted services to the users in the lockdown. Attracting people to fall prey to bank frauds, credit card frauds, etc. 

Many people have also fallen prey to some people making fake id's and then extorting money from their contacts in their name. Cyber attacks amidst this pandemic have not only been limited to this but the personal data of people also continue to be an attractive target. 

There are a lot of malware programs that aim at stealing the details of the bank accounts, passwords, cryptocurrency accounts, and all the other sensitive information of the people.

   The state cyber actors have also appeared to have been taking advantage of the COVID situation and in fact, an attack was also conducted by a state-sponsored group of hackers underpinned by Pakistan which included a series of ransomware and phishing attacks aimed at stealing the highly confidential data of the Indian government.  

According to an analysis conducted by security solutions provider K7 computing, the state of Kerela has recorded the highest number of cyber-attacks during the state-imposed lockdown.

Various types of Cybercrimes

1. Harassment via electronic mails and on the internet 

2. Dissemination of obscene material ( including child pornography ) 

3. Cyber-stalking

4. Defamation

5. Indecent exposure

6. Cheating

7. Unauthorized control/access over the computer system

8. Email spoofing

9. Fraud

10. Computer vandalism

11. Transmitting virus

12. Netrepass

13. Unauthorized access/control over the computer system/browser hijacking ( hacking )

14. Intellectual Property crimes

15. Internet thefts

16. Cyber terrorism against the government organization/espionage 

17. Cyber Warfare

18. Possession of unauthorized information

19. Distribution of Pirated software

20. Indecent exposure of polluting the youth

21. phishing scams

22. Sale of illegal articles

23. Trafficking

24. Forgery

25. Online gambling

26. Spamming through Bots/flood attacks

27. Identity Theft/Cheating by impersonation 

28. DDoS ( Distributed Denial of Service ) 

29. Ransomware & other malware 

30. Cyberwarfare

31. Revenge Porn

32. Cyber Bullying

How to stay cyber secure What is appalling is that very few users admit that they take appropriate steps to protect themselves from these crippling cyber attacks. "Prevention is better than cure". We are in dire need to get an idea of how to stay cyber secure. 

Following are some of the things to keep in mind:

1. Never connect to unknown wifi networks especially public wifi networks. 

2. Use network encryptions. 

3. Use firewalls to prohibit hackers from gaining access to sensitive information. 

4. Use 14 digit passwords which shall include a mix of lower & upper case, symbols, numbers, no ties to your personal information. 

5. Never use the same password twice. 

6. Change your passwords yearly or six-monthly. 

7. Keep the software of your devices up to date as they contain bug fixes and security patches. 

8. Be careful on which link you click on the internet. 

9. Timely backup your data. 

10. Never click on links sent from suspicious emails. 

11. Use good antivirus. 

The process to report a cybercrime online: Whenever you or any other person encounters a cyberattack they can straight away go to The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal which is an initiative taken by the Indian government.  

For instance, you come across a fake id made in your on any of the social media platforms. The very first thing you can do is you can log on to https://cybercrime.gov.in (Helpline Number 155260 you can contact them from 9 am to 6 pm). It will then ask you the type of cybercrime you want to report is women/child or any other type of cybercrime. Click on to other cybercrime and then report your issue on this portal.

Do remember to copy the link of that social media account which you wish to report and provide that link to the portal while filing your complaint. Also, collect as many shreds of evidence as possible (screenshots, the link to that profile, etc)

Other than this you can also report that particular profile on that particular social media platform.

Once you file a complaint the appropriate authorities are quite quick to react to that complaint and it is also advised that one should not file false complaints as it is a punishable offence.

  Types of evidence which can be useful to file a complaint:

• Bank statement

• Envelope (if received a letter or item through mail or courier)

• Brochure/Pamphlet

• Online money transfer receipt or transaction-id

• Copy of email

• Link of a webpage

• Chat transcripts

• Suspect mobile number screenshot

• Videos

• Images

• Credit/Debit card receipt

• Any other kind of document

Conclusion

With the help of this blog post, I tell you what are the different types of cyber crimes and how to report them without physically going to a police station or a cyber cell and several ways to stay safe from the cyber-attacks.