Himachal Police cautions netizens against online sextortion

Our Correspondent

NURPUR, OCTOBER 2

To protect people from cyber frauds and sextortion, the police have suggested safety tips and follow-up action if they get trapped into online sextortion.

Talking to mediapersons here last night, Ashok Rattan, SP, said internet users should access websites with https:// only which was a secure link to avoid any cyber crime activity.

** Safety tips **

• Don’t respond to any video or WhatsApp call from the unknown sources
• Don’t click unknown links
• Be careful of website’s domain name
• Email access must be done with utmost care as messages can be used a source of virus

He advised them to never click unknown links and be careful of the domain name of a website. He said the e-mail access must be done with utmost care as messages were a source of virus that may hack the whole system.

Rattan said mobile users should avoid downloading unwanted suspicious applications. “To protect oneself from online sextortion, he suggested not to respond to any video or WhatsApp call from the unknown sources and before interacting with him, verify the user,” he said.

Rattan said mobile users should never involve in sharing any obscene activity on any social media platform. They could save themselves from trapping in online sextortion.

“If any fraudster sends messages to a victim of online sextortion for blackmailing him, he should immediately block that contact number and change his mobile number besides contacting the police at the earliest,” he said.

A number of innocent persons in Kangra district during the past six months have fallen prey to online fraudsters. The modus operandi of the fraudsters is to lure the victims into intimate video or WhatsApp chats using fake accounts and profiles. The fraudsters record video, take screen shots and morph these to blackmail victims.

#cyber crime #nurpur