By Atul Krishan and Jaison Wilson
New Delhi, August 28 (IANS): Being aware of any online scam or fraud is the best defense mechanism to save your bank balance and peace of mind, as it can become nearly impossible to offset your loss once you become a victim.
Cyber law expert Anuj Aggarwal warns people not to download suspicious lending apps, a common fraud after the widespread use of Android phones, because they contain Remote Access Trojans (RATs) and Anydesk, which help hackers gain access to the device and all the data.
Since these two are hidden in the apps, users are not aware and hackers can access the device and steal data.
“RAT and Anydesk will show all your cell phone activity to the hackers. The hacker can read all your messages and can also access your entire gallery and even call recording,” said Aggarwal.
He said only the most trusted and popular apps should be downloaded and no suspicious links should be clicked, adding that Google also recently removed thousands of suspicious apps from its Play Store.
“Even Google can’t detect spam apps and so we have to be careful.”
There are thousands of suspicious apps that are available but there is no committee to regulate or inspect them, Aggarwal said, emphasizing that Data Protection Law is the need of the hour.
“Even the RBI cannot easily regulate them. We need a proper body to control them. Previously, the high court had said that a data breach is a violation of fundamental rights and we need data protection and data privacy laws. The government introduced this bill, but was later withdrawn after comment from a committee of experts,” said the expert cyber lawyer.
According to Delhi Police, the types of Cyber Crimes include Email Frauds, Social Media Crimes, Mobile App Related Crimes, Business Email Compromise, Hoax Call Scams, Data Theft, Ransomeware, Net Bank Frauds/ ATMs, insurance fraud, lottery scams, Bitcoin, cheat scams. and online transaction fraud.
Delhi police have warned women never to try to meet a person they have interacted with only online without bringing someone else and that such a meeting should always be in a public place.
“Remember, people aren’t always who they say they are. People are often uncomfortable because they don’t want to offend anyone, but well-meaning people will understand and encourage you to set security requirements, and criminals want you to be safe.” feel guilty about it,” police said.
Children should never share their personal details, such as home address, phone number, date and place of birth, on any online platform like Facebook, Instagram, blogs, Twitter, chat rooms, it added.
The police asked not to respond to indecent/offensive/harassing emails/chat messages and instead keep them on record in the form of screenshots and report them to their parent/guardian to report to the police.
The account must be blocked immediately, it says.
The police also warned seniors to keep their passwords unique and secure. These passwords must be made up of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers. Never reveal your password to anyone. Passwords are an excellent guarantee of online security, he suggests.
Post with caution on social networking sites. It’s a good idea to also understand how privacy settings work on social networks, he further cautions.
In another top tip about online banking, the police suggested that while online banking is very convenient for seniors, make sure you enter information only on security-enabled sites.
“Sites, for example, that start with https:// mean that the data is encrypted in transit. Be aware of this and do not enter any bank details or credit card information on websites that start with just http:// “.
Police also warn businessmen that they are mostly on the move.
Protect your data on the go. When using public Wi-Fi, choose the most secure option, even if you have to pay for it. It could include password protection and encryption. Confirm the exact spelling of the wireless network you are connecting to. Beware of clever (slightly misspelled) forgeries. Encrypt the data on your laptop (or USB flash drive) in case it’s lost or stolen.
Protect your laptop, smartphone and PDA with the same care as your wallet.
It is also worth noting that you should be careful when using Bluetooth in public places, as someone may access your sensitive data/information for banking security on the network.
