Mysuru’s Assistant Commissioner of Police for Cyber Crime, N. Sneha Raj, issued a stern warning this Monday: think twice before letting any stranger use your bank account for transactions. This crucial advice came during a financial fraud awareness program in Mysuru.
Ms. Raj urged the public to be extremely cautious of unknown individuals who might feign distress and ask for help with money transfers. These scammers often request that you withdraw funds transferred to your account from an unfamiliar source or transfer money from your account to another. While an act of kindness might seem innocent, it could lead to severe consequences.
Many people, out of pure sympathy, might agree to such requests. However, doing so could result in their bank accounts being frozen if the money turns out to be part of a cyber fraud scheme. Ms. Raj highlighted that if an amount transferred to your account is linked to a criminal money trail, even if you’re innocent, bank officials will be unable to unfreeze your account and will direct you to the police.
Imagine the ordeal: if the original fraud case was registered in another state, like Rajasthan, you’d be compelled to approach that police station to clear your name. The only safe exceptions, she noted, are transactions with immediate family members or individuals you know and trust personally.
The Grave Risk of Child Pornography
Beyond financial scams, the Assistant Commissioner also delivered a grave warning about child pornography. She advised individuals visiting pornography sites to be vigilant, as they could inadvertently encounter child pornography, which is a serious criminal offense.
Ms. Raj explained that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a global child protection organization, actively monitors phones involved in child pornography. Many users, she added, struggle to distinguish between a minor and an adult over 18 in online content.
A “red flag” is instantly raised when a phone is identified as “viewing, sharing, or storing” child pornography. This triggers a cyber “tipline” report, which is then forwarded to the relevant state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The CID, in turn, assigns the case to the local CEN police, relying on IP addresses and other collected data.
Responding to a query, Ms. Raj confirmed that Mysuru has already registered two such distressing cases related to child pornography.