Mumbai Police's cyber cell saved Rs 101 cr lost by citizens to fraudsters in five months

Quick action by the city police crime branch's dedicated 1930 cyber helpline intercepted and put a freeze on more than Rs 101 crore defrauded from citizens in the last five months, officials said on Wednesday.

The helpline saved a total of Rs 101,39,06,556 between January 1 and May 19, preventing frauds.

During 140 days, the helpline desk received 2,55,092 distress calls from residents, an official said.

Swift, real-time response mechanisms enabled the cell to secure fund-freeze orders in 30,302 instances, representing a highly efficient hold rate of 25.68 per cent of reported fraudulent transactions, he said.

The cumulative savings achieved by the specialised unit have touched a massive Rs 491,57,80,779 since its launch on May 17, 2022, under the Brihanmumbai Police Commissionerate, the official said.

''The primary objective of the 1930 helpline is to act inside the critical 'golden hour' of a financial cyber crime,'' the official said.

As the victim registers a complaint, on-duty officers establish immediate, national-level coordination with nodal officers of banks, e-wallets, payment gateways, and merchants to freeze the money before it can be moved or withdrawn, the official said.

Analysis of incoming cases revealed that the majority of citizens fell prey to sophisticated social engineering tactics, he said.

This includes fraudulent online stock market trading and investment schemes, high-pressure ''digital arrest'' scams, deceptive online task-based job offers, debit or credit card fraud, and malicious phishing campaigns, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)