Everything has its own pros and cons is a term which you might be aware of right?
The same way the Internet comes with its own sets of pros and cons with it.
The Internet is basically a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.
Some people use it to their benefit and some people use it to harm others.
Some people use it to steal someone else's details or identity by impersonating some other person to gain something or the other out of the said act.
Let us understand what exactly Impersonation is.
What exactly is Impersonation?
An impersonation is an act of pretending to be another person for the purpose of entertainment or fraud.
This quite frankly has become very common these days. especially among girls. Some people make fake accounts in some other person's name and upload some other person's pictures on that newly created id.
With advancements in the technologies, it has become very easy to mimic someone's online presence on various social media platforms.
As we use various social media platforms for work or leisure which makes it very easy for our details or pictures to be stolen and used for wrongful gains.
One such example of the rise in the cases of impersonation was seen in the lockdown, lots and lots of people were cheated by fake ids demanding money in the lockdown.
What can be done?
If you encounter a fake id made in your name or in some other person's name whom you know, what you do is report or block that fake id.
Whereas, reporting or blocking that fake id is not the solution or the right thing to do.
What can be done in this situation is you can file a complaint with the police authorities under sections 66C (Identity Theft) and 66D (Cheating by personation by using a computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.
Both Section 66C and Section 66D provide for imprisonment for up to three years and a fine which can be levied to the tune of Rs. 1,00,000!
While we can be lulled into a fake sense of security and think passwords and security questions make us untouched to online impersonation for malicious reasons, it is better to be educated on the recourses available if the need arises.
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