Cybercrimes spurt in Assam; 483 cases in 2015 to 3,962 in 2021

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam registered an over eight-fold increase in cybercrimes in seven years – from 483 cases in 2015 to 3,962 in 2021.

According to Assam Police sources, since the outbreak of Covid-19, followed by lockdowns, the mode of the transaction from business to education became online. It has increased the number of cyber frauds in the state and elsewhere in the country.

According to the police, most of the financial frauds in Assam are taking place through OTPs (one-time passwords). Identity theft is another threat. Cybercriminals get access to others' credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts etc., by fraudulently taking their user IDs, passwords etc.

Cyber phishing (a type of cyber security attack during which malicious actors send messages pretending to be a trusted person or entity), cyberstalking (repeated use of electronic communications to harass or frighten someone), cyber hacking (a practice of intentionally exploiting weaknesses in an organization's computer systems) are also taking place in a rampant way in the state. According to police sources, the state had 696 cyber cases in 2016, 1120 cases in 2017, 2022 cases in 2018, 2231 cases in 2019 and 3530 in 2020.

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