In a major cybercrime case, a hacker created a fake Facebook account of Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Chahal and asked for financial assistance through online payment platforms.

A cyber fraudster had reportedly sent friend requests to group members via his fake account, seeking financial help and asking them to send money through online payment platforms.

Talking to ‘The Pioneer’ SSP Chahal confirmed that his fake Facebook account was discovered and it has been deleted now and senior cyber cell officers are investigating this matter. Police sources said that the accused hacker who made a fake Facebook account of SSP, had asked for money from his acquaintances included in the friend list of the officer. People were asked for money in small amounts continuously by making different excuses, sources said. Meanwhile, the incidents of hacking or cloning of FB accounts by cyber fraudsters have grown alarmingly in Chandigarh and the region. Facebook users have become soft targets for cyber criminals amid ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

When contacted, a senior cyber cell police officer, on the condition of anonymity, said that there has been a sharp spike in cybercrimes since the outbreak of Covid-19 as cyber fraudsters are taking advantage of increasing dependence on the virtual world. Cybercrime cases including FB account hacking or cloning are being reported on a daily basis in Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

The users whose FB accounts have been hacked also include senior cops, lawyers and senior politicians including the Mayor in the past. Many FB users are seeking monetary help in the name of job loss, unemployment, and hunger among other reasons from friends over the social media platform. The latest trend in cyber crime is that hackers on social media find influential profiles to impersonate or even hack into, to lend credibility to their tactics, he added. The Police officer further said that recently, Chandigarh’s cybercrime cell had blocked at least eight Facebook pages promising free home delivery of alcohol to city residents, amid the Covid-19 outbreak and prohibitory orders.

“While the lockdown and surge in Covid-19 cases has confined people indoors and triggered an increase in their time spent over Facebook and other social media platforms, it has also led to increased activity by cyber fraudsters.  Cyber cell of the police is, from time to time, issuing advisories to the citizens, but the cyber fraudsters are coming up with new methods to cheat people.