Cybercrimes which have witnessed a 400 per cent jump in the last four years have been witnessing a pattern in which smaller cities are being targeted.
The advent and expansion of the internet has made connectivity a breeze. However with it also came the risk of scammers using the web to dupe people. Statistics reveal that in recent years most of the cybercrimes in the country have been reported from smaller cities.
The trend earlier was to target individuals in bigger or more metropolitan cities. This was largely because technology grew at a rapid pace in these bigger cities. However, the last couple of years has seen a massive digital transformation and the internet and mobile connectivity is available even in the remotest parts of the country.
A change in pattern
Data that has been collected shows that fraudsters have been moving operations to smaller cities. It is not only the advent of the internet and better mobile connectivity that has led them to target smaller cities.
In such areas, the awareness is lesser and due to this the people are more gullible when compared to those living in bigger cities. Some of the smaller cities that have been targeted are Alwar and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Deoghar in Jharkhand, Nalanda in Bihar and Nuh in Haryana.
Although this trend is not surprising, it is however very worrying. The agencies dealing with cyber crime have to expand operations and make the people in Tier 2 and 3 cities more aware about the dangers of cyber crime. Studying the pattern closely, analysts are of the opinion that cybercrimes would very soon move to town in the next phase and then to the villages. In villages and towns, it would be even easier to scam the people as the awareness levels are very low.
Statistics
In the last four years cyber criminals cheated people to the tune of Rs 33,165 crore. In 2024 alone, the number stood at Rs 22,812. The data analysis showed that nearly 80 per cent of these cases were registered in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
The Tier 2 and 3 cities have now been identified and classified as the cyber crime hotspots.
Data for the years 2021 and 2022 states that people were cheated to the tune of Rs 137,254 and 5,15,083 respectively. In the year 2023 cybercriminals cheated people to the tune of Rs 17,10,5050.
Going by the pattern based on the data between the years 2021 to 2024, it is clear that the number of cases have only increased. This could also to do with the fact that the fraudsters have expanded their base by a large extent. While targeting people in Tier 1 cities and also moving to the Tier 2 and 3 cities has only expanded the base of these criminals as a result of which the number of cases too has shot up.
Database and coordination
The first step initiated by the agencies was to prepare a strong data base. This data base has been made available to all the central and state agencies. This helps in quick detection and faster information so that the crime can be nipped in the bud.
The government has also created a working online suspect registry. It has been three months since this initiative has been launched and already six lakh fraudulent transactions have been declined which led to Rs 1,800 crore being saved.
The new registry contains data of 1.4 million cybercriminals who are linked to financial frauds and other crimes committed on the cyber space. The initiative that was launched by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah has data that is available to all the agencies at both the central and state levels.
Further the Home Ministry has also sought for the development of an e-FIR system through which a citizen can file a complaint though NCRP. In December last year, officials of the Home Ministry also held a meeting in which several issues were discussed. These included trends and measures to be taken to detect and prevent cyber frauds.
The e-FIR system which is in the making would help the agencies tackle the problem more effectively. Under this system a nationalised cyber-police station of e-FIR in the NCRP portal will be created. Apart from lodging complaints, an e-FIR can also be filed. Once filed the e-FIR will be transferred to the concerned jurisdiction police station where the matter would be further investigated. This would be similar to the e-FIR system which is being used by the Delhi Police to tackle theft and motor vehicle theft cases.
