Udupi SP asks people to use 1930 helpline to report cyber financial frauds

Udupi Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar said on Monday that cybercrime helpline number 1930 plays an important role in stopping financial frauds. If victims report the frauds immediately to the helpline, accounts can be frozen, which increases the chances of recovering the money.

He was speaking on ‘intersection of cybercrime, drugs trafficking, social and legal implications’ at Alva’s College in Moodbidri.

“If scammers operating within the country are caught, efforts are made to recover the money. But the priority is to ensure that the money does not get transferred to accounts outside the country,” he said.

He said cybercrime has become highly complicated and challenging for law enforcement agencies to track and investigate.

“Fraudsters are now creating fake investment websites and links that look identical to genuine ones. When people click on these links, a duplicate application is downloaded. Believing it to be real, individuals make multiple investments over time, and only then is the money transferred to mule accounts by the fraudsters. These criminals operate through hundreds of accounts spread across different States, making it difficult to trace the flow of money. The money transferred to mule accounts is withdrawn as cash, converted into Bitcoin, and then sent to foreign countries,” he said.

He urged students not to fall prey into the trap of drug mafia be it for entertainment or by peer influence.

The management trustee of Alva’s Education Institutions Vivek Alva was present.