Beware of ‘friend in need’ frauds

As our lives get increasingly immersed in digital realms, our connect with our social circle is also getting confined to the endless boundaries of social media. This is a very basic fact–known by everyone and even cyber fraudsters. Not just technology but even the trickery of cyber criminals is continuously evolving.

The latest one is to hack people’s Facebook or WhatsApp accounts and then approach the victim’s friends for money–playing the ‘friend in need’ card. A 29-year-old woman (identity protected) from Vikhroli fell prey to one such fraud. Talking to The FPJ, she said, “I work as a consultant in a finance company.

The incident happened last month when I was at home, spending time with my family. It was the weekend. One of my friends, who has been close to me since childhood,texted me saying she urgently needs Rs 50,000 for academic needs.

It was the beginning of the month and my salary had been credited. Hence,I transferred money to the number she had sent via Facebook. After almost 8-9 hours, I called her to check if everything was sorted and the nextthing I came to know was that her Facebook account was hacked.

I am one among many who got a text from that account. ” On Oct 3, Maharashtra Cyber Cell issued an advisory, warning citizens againstfake social media profiles. The advisory said this type of fraud can damage one’s online reputation while the victims become vulnerable to attacks like phishing and financial scams.

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“I was in my office when I received a text on WhatsApp from a known friend, asking me to lend Rs 15,000. He said that his mother is unwell and needs emergency cash to deposit in the hospital. He told me to send the money via Google Pay.

After sending the amount, I was randomly scrolling through Instagram and found a story of the same friend, where he was hanging out with his friends. I texted him on Insta and he said that he didn’t askfor anymoney. It came as a surprise to me.

A relativeof mineknewapolice officer in Vakola, so I raised the complaint through him,” he said. Talking aboutit, anofficial at Vakola police said that the minute such a scam happens, the golden hour begins, which lasts for the next two hours. “In those two hours, we generally ask the respective bank to freeze the transaction, while also obtaining details of the receiving account.

Our priority is to recover the lost money. After that’s done, we begin withthe investigation to find out about the fraud,” the cop added. Cyber experts suggest that one-time password (OTP) or security PIN numbers should not be shared with anyone; not even with close friends and family.

“In these cases, while the phone is in the victim’s hand, WhatsApp could be active in someone’s device (hacker, or fraud). In order to not fall for such a scam, people should never share any OTP or PIN number that they receive on their devices. Every application or platform has two-factor authentication (2FA) which should be activated for maximum protection,” explained Cyber and Privacy lawyer Dr Prashant Mali.

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