Kerala blocks 1,836 illegal loan apps, 5,000 fake websites to curb cybercrime
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday said the police were taking strong action against cyber-enabled financial fraud by blocking nearly 2,000 illegal loan apps
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday said the police were taking strong action against cyber-enabled financial fraud by blocking nearly 2,000 illegal loan apps and removing more than 5,000 fake websites. He said the government was treating the issue seriously and was preparing a comprehensive project to tackle and prevent cybercrime. The minister made the statement while replying to a submission in the Assembly on the rise in cybercrime and online fraud in the state. Congress MLA Abin Varkey said Kerala ranked third in the country in such offences and that the number of cases and losses had become a major concern.
Read Full Story Varkey said more than 42,000 people in the state had fallen victim to cybercrime last year, with losses of over Rs 814 crore. He said nearly half of this amount was lost through online trading apps. He also said online financial frauds were being carried out in the name of collecting payments for traffic challans and utility bills, and asked the government to take strict action. Responding to this, Chennithala said cybercrime was widespread in Kerala, with more than 1,000 cases being reported from each district.
He said the police were registering cases under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act and Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on the basis of complaints received from victims. He added that fake websites and unauthorised loan apps used for cyber fraud were also being blocked. The minister said internet access to 1,836 loan apps operating illegally without approval from the Reserve Bank of India had been blocked, and that the police had removed more than 5,000 websites used for financial fraud from cyberspace. He said cyber patrolling was also under way.
Chennithala also said online gaming was being used to facilitate financial fraud and that children often fell prey to it. He said the government was holding awareness programmes in schools and other educational institutions to educate children about the harmful effects of online gaming. Overall, the government said it was stepping up enforcement, blocking illegal platforms and increasing awareness as cyber fraud cases continued to rise in the state. Ends
The BriefWire