Don’t Be The Next Cybercrime Victim

Greetings everyone, I hope you are all doing well, both personally and digitally. As I am writing this for first time, I feel it is imperative to share my thoughts on the rapidly increasing cybercrimes that are causing significant financial and reputational losses. I hope that my post will serve as a helpful resource to increase awareness and mitigate the risks associated with cybercrimes.

With the world becoming increasingly digital, AI, machine learning, and automation are now a ubiquitous part of our lives. While these advancements have significantly improved our quality of life, there are also some downsides to them.

Cybercrimes are one such downside, and unfortunately, they are becoming more and more common. There are many blogs and articles on how to prevent such incidents from happening, but today, we will focus on what you can do if you fall prey to cybercrimes.

There are several scenarios in which you might fall victim to cybercrime :

· You may accidentally click on a malicious or phishing link, which can result in your money being debited.

· You may be tricked by individuals who promise to double your money if you invest in Bitcoin or other similar schemes.

· You may receive messages on WhatsApp from HR companies promising to pay you for liking videos, and you might get carried away by such scams.

· You may receive WhatsApp calls from unknown numbers, answering which you may receive a morphed video that demands money to be deleted.

· You may receive fake emails that appear to be from a reputable source, but in reality, they are not. These emails may ask you to click on a link or download a file, which could lead to malware being installed on your device.

Although all of these scenarios are challenging, it is an unfortunate reality that they do occur. In situations where humans make errors, it is vital to avoid panicking.

Here are some immediate steps you can take:

1) Register a legal complaint at the nearest police station and provide them with all relevant details. Alternatively, you can lodge a complaint online on the following website: https://cybercrime.gov.in/

2) Do not send any money to hackers or criminals who demand it. The more money you send, the more they will demand. Do not allow them to take advantage of your fear.

3) Do not answer any calls demanding money. The more you talk, the more they will sense your fear and take advantage of you.

4) Deactivate the social media account immediately from which the incident took place, so that cybercriminals won’t have access to your friend list anymore.

5) Talk to someone, either a friend or family member, as it’s important to keep calm in such situations. Take care of your mental health.

6) Reset your mobile device immediately, as there is a possibility that it may be compromised.

7) Keep your social media friend list limited, and do not trust anyone.

8) Do not accept random video calls from strangers on WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. Instead, block them immediately.

9) Avoid posting anything on social media for a few days, as it may reveal your sensitive information. Keep your profile low.

10) Install antivirus software on your mobile phones to prevent you from visiting malicious or phishing websites.

11) Check whether your email address has been compromised by using websites like https://haveibeenpwned.com/

12) Note the username of the hacker if social media is being used. You can retrieve partial email addresses by requesting the “forgot password” feature on Instagram, Gmail, Twitter, etc. This information could be useful.

13) Be alert while sharing personal information with strangers, and verify the authenticity of the person.

14) Lastly, always stay cyber-safe. Protect your family, friends, and loved ones from cyberattacks.

In addition to these tips, here are a few more things you can do to protect yourself from cybercrimes:

1) Enable two-factor authentication on all your accounts, especially those that contain sensitive information, such as your bank account or email. This will provide an extra layer of security and make it harder for hackers to access your accounts.

2) Regularly update your passwords and avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Use strong passwords that include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

3) Be cautious when opening attachments or downloading files from unknown sources. They may contain malware that can infect

Thank-you for your precious time. Stay Cyber-Safe 😊