Cyber Crime & Precautions

Cyber crimes are prevalent world over. With few timely steps, we may be able to protect ourselves from the effects of digital crimes.

1. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS TALWANT SINGH DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE DELHI (EAST)

2. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS Cyber Crimes  are any crimes that involve a computer and a network. In some cases, the computer may have been used in order to commit the crime, and in other cases, the computer may have been the target of the crime . The effect of cybercrime can be extremely upsetting for victims, and not necessarily just for financial reasons. Victims may feel that their privacy has been violated, and that they are powerless. Unfortunately, as World’s reliance on technology grows, the cost and incidence of cybercrime is expected to increase.

3. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ATTACKS ON COMPUTER SYSTEMS Unauthorised access or hacking  – when someone gains access to your computer or device without permission. Malware  – malicious software (such as viruses, trojans and spyware) which monitor your online activity and cause damage to the computer. Denial of service attacks  – an attack which floods a computer or website with data, causing it to overload and prevent it from functioning properly. This type of attack is more frequently targeted at businesses, rather than individuals.

4. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS CYBER-BULLYING OR STALKING Cyber-bullying or Stalking occurs when someone engages in offensive, menacing or harassing behaviour through the use of technology. It can happen to people at any age, anytime, and often anonymously . Examples of cyber-bullying include: Posting hurtful messages, images or videos online Repeatedly sending unwanted messages online Sending abusive texts and emails Excluding or intimidating others online Creating fake social networking profiles that are hurtful Nasty online gossip and chat, and Any other form of digital communication which is discriminatory, intimidating, intended to cause hurt or make someone fear for their safety .

5. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS EMAIL SPAM Spam is electronic junk mail – unsolicited messages sent by email, text message or instant message without the recipient’s consent. Spam messages often contain offers of free goods or ‘prizes’, cheap products, promises of wealth or other similar offers. You might be asked to pay a joining fee, to buy something to ‘win’ a prize or to call or text a telephone number (calls made to these numbers are charged at premium rates).

6. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS EMAIL PHISHING Phishing  is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Phishing messages often pretend to come from legitimate businesses, such as banks or telecommunications providers .

7. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS IDENTITY THEFT Identity theft occurs when a criminal gains access to your personal information to steal money or gain other benefits. Even if you think thieves only have a small amount of information about you, they can use it to find more information about you, including photographs, your date and place of birth and even information about your family . This can be enough to apply for services, such as a new bank account.

8. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS As a result of Identity Theft a criminal may: T rick your bank or financial institution into giving them access to your money and other accounts. Open new accounts and build up debts in your name which can ruin your credit rating. Take control of your accounts, including by changing the address on your credit card or other accounts so you don’t receive statements and don’t realise there is a problem. Open a phone, internet or other service account in your name. Claim government benefits in your name. Use your name to plan or commit criminal activity. Pretend to be you to embarrass or misrepresent you, such as through social media.

9. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL Material that shows or describes child sexual abuse or other offences against children is illegal under Indian laws. It is an offence to: access, possess, distribute, produce, advertise or make available child pornography or child abuse material online.

10. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ONLINE SCAMS OR FRAUD With the growth in online services and internet use, there are many opportunities for criminals to commit scams and fraud. These are dishonest schemes that seek to take advantage of unsuspecting people to gain a benefit (such as money, or access to personal details). These are often contained in  spam & phishing  messages.

11. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS Common types of online scams include: Unexpected prize scams. Unexpected money scams. Dating or romance scams. Threats and extortion scams. Jobs and investment scams. Death of a wealthy relative, who left an estate for you.

12. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ONLINE TRADING ISSUES Online trading issues involve scammers targeting people who buy, sell or trade online. There are many types of scams which aim to rip off unsuspecting shoppers. Online trading scammers may: Advertise products for sale at cheap prices, and once purchased the products never arrive. Pay the seller a larger amount than advertised, invent an excuse for the overpayment and then request the excess amount be repaid either back to the scammer or to a third party before the seller realises the fraud.

13. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ONLINE TRADING ISSUES Offer ‘miracle’ cures for medical conditions where none exist (especially for weight loss ). Target small businesses and attempt to bill them for a particular service – usually a listing or advertisement – which the business never asked for. Take advantage of natural disasters by impersonating charities requesting donations. Claim your computer is infected with a virus and request remote access to fix the problem. Attract you with offers for ‘free’ goods by subscribing to few premium services.

14. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS PREVALENCE OF CYBER CRIME IN INDIA In a recent survey, 49% of the respondents have experienced cybercrime in the last. It is evident that only half of the respondents have been a victim of cyber attacks in the last year which indicated that the number of cybercrime incidents in India has been on rise. 48 per cent of the respondents indicated that they suffer disruption of their business processes and reputation damage as a result of a cyber attack.

15. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS EXTENT OF CYBER CRIME LOSSES It is reported by Business Standard that India has 42 million cyber crimes every year . Seven per cent of the estimated global price tag of cyber crimes are being carried out every year in India. The estimated yearly price tag of cyber crime in India is US $ 8 billion (INR 53 Thousand Crores) whereas the global bill is US $ 110 billion. ( Total Defence Allocation for 2015 is Rs. 246 Thousand Crores) Eighty-five per cent of the total financial cost of the cyber crimes are the result of fraud, theft and loss. Fraud constitutes 42 per cent of the total financial loss.

16. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS Indeed , the average cost per cybercrime victim in India increased to $ 207 (around   Rs.13,000 ) in 2013 from $192 a year earlier.   Globally , the cost rose 50% from a year ago to $298 in 2013 . Cyber attacks are showing no signs of abating. India was ranked among the top five countries to be affected by cybercrime .

17. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM CYBER CRIMES

18. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR PHONY EMAIL MESSAGES . Things that indicate a message may be fraudulent are: misspellings, poor grammar, odd phrasings, Web site addresses with strange extensions, Web site addresses that are entirely numbers where there are normally words, and anything else out of the ordinary. ADDITIONALLY, PHISHING MESSAGES will often tell you that you have to act quickly to keep your account open, update your security, or urge you to provide information immediately or else something bad will happen. Don't take the bait.

19. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS DON'T RESPOND TO EMAIL MESSAGES THAT ASK FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION.  Legitimate companies will not use email messages to ask for your personal information. WHEN IN DOUBT , contact the company by phone or by typing in the company Web address into your Web browser. DON'T CLICK ON THE LINKS in these messages as they make take you to a fraudulent, malicious Web sites.

20. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS STEER CLEAR OF FRAUDULENT WEB SITES USED TO STEAL PERSONAL INFORMATION.  When visiting a Web site, type the address (URL) directly into the Web browser rather than following a link within an email or instant message. FRAUDSTERS OFTEN FORGE THESE LINKS to make them look convincing. A shopping, banking or any other Web site having sensitive information should have an "S" after the letters "http" (i.e. https:// www.yourbank.com) The "s" stands for secure and should appear when you are in an area requesting you to login or provide other sensitive data. ANOTHER SIGN THAT YOU HAVE A SECURE CONNECTION is the small lock icon in the bottom of your web browser (usually the right-hand corner).

21. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS PAY ATTENTION TO PRIVACY POLICIES ON WEB SITES AND IN SOFTWARE.  It is important to understand how an organization might collect and use your personal information before you share it with them. GUARD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.  Spammers and phishers sometimes send millions of messages to email addresses that may or may not exist in hopes of finding a potential victim. Responding to these messages or even downloading images ensures you will be added to their lists for more of the same messages in the future. ALSO BE CAREFUL WHEN POSTING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ONLINE in newsgroups, blogs or online communities .

22. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS ONLINE OFFERS THAT LOOK TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE USUALLY ARE ONLY TRAPS. The old saying " THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH " still rings true today. SUPPOSEDLY "FREE" SOFTWARE such as screen savers or smileys , secret investment tricks sure to make you untold fortunes, and contests that you've surprisingly won without entering are the enticing hooks used by companies to grab your attention. 

23. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS REVIEW BANK AND CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS REGULARLY. THE IMPACT OF IDENTITY THEFT and online crimes can be greatly reduced if you can catch it shortly after your data is stolen or when the first use of your information is attempted. ONE OF THE EASIEST WAYS to get the tip-off that something has gone wrong is by reviewing the monthly statements provided by our bank and credit card companies for anything out of the ordinary . 

24. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS CHOOSE STRONG PASSWORDS AND KEEP THEM SAFE. SELECTING A PASSWORD THAT CANNOT BE EASILY GUESSED is the first step toward keeping passwords secure and away from the wrong hands. STRONG PASSWORDS HAVE EIGHT CHARAC TERS or more and use a combination of letters, numbers & symbols (e.g., # $ % ! ). AVOID USING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING AS YOUR PASSWORD: your login name, anything based on your personal information such as your last name, and words that can be found in the dictionary. TRY TO SELECT ESPECIALLY STRONG, UNIQUE PASSWORDS for protecting activities like online banking.

25. CYBER CRIME & PRECAUTIONS KEEP YOUR PASSWORDS IN A SAFE PLACE and try not to use the same password for every service you use online. CHANGE PASSWORDS ON A REGULAR BASIS , at least every 90 days. This can limit the damage caused by someone who has already gained access to your account. IF YOU NOTICE SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS with one of your online accounts, one of the first steps you can take is to change your password.

26. THANKS TALWANT SINGH DISTRICT & SESSIONS JUDGE DELHI (EAST)