CYBERCRIMES AGAINST WOMEN ON THE RISE IN GUJARAT

Gujarat has witnessed a steady rise in cybercrime incidents. There has been a steep rise in complaints of several such crimes, including online teasing, blackmailing, and cheating with women.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures 2019, women’s cybercrime complaints doubled last year as compared to 2018. More than 226 FIRs have been registered in cases of online threats, cyber pornography, fake accounts and blackmail.

According to the NCRB, the state police have registered 28 cases of online stalking or hooliganism, 21 cases of cyber pornography, six cases of blackmail, five cases of fake accounts and four cases of defamation or morphing. In all these cases women were the victims.

Overall, Gujarat recorded an increase of 11.7% in cybercrimes as compared to 2018. Out of the total 784 cases, 294 cases were registered under the IT Act.

Compared to 2018, there has been a 62% increase in identity theft cases in 2019, while computer-related crimes have increased by 29%.

A webinar was recently organized by the National Commission for Women in Ahmedabad to curb the rising cybercrime with women in the state. Women from foreign countries also joined the webinar titled “Cyber Frame Against Women”.

According to the report, an estimated 74% of women block someone else’s page on Facebook because of a subversive crime.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 35% of women are victims of online violence, while 20% are cases where women have had to close their accounts. On the other hand, Ford’s conviction rate has also dropped from 40% to around 25%.

“During the lockdown period this year, we have seen an increase in cases where social media users have received money sending messages from their friends,” said a city-based cybersecurity expert.

“Always check the special identity of the person/organization before ever transferring money online. For personal safety, always change passwords regularly, avoid chatting with strangers and uploading / sending sensitive images and do not share your card personal details with anyone else”, the expert added further

According to Amit Vasava, Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime, in the last eight months, more than 15,000 complaints of fraud and hooliganism have been received from cybercriminals, with a total of Rs. 50 crore online fraud has taken place. Half of these cases are from Ahmedabad alone. While others are reported in Surat, Vadodara and Gandhinagar.