Despite Bengaluru being an IT hub, digital literacy among people here is low leading to an increase in cybercrimes, C. Vamsi Krishna, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Economic Offences, Cybercrimes and Narcotics, CID, said.
He was speaking at a workshop on cyber security, organised by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Karnataka regional branch on Saturday.
Common mistakes
Citing an example, he said that even though hundreds of apps are available on mobile phones, many of them are not being used and become vulnerable to cybercrimes. He also said even though there is a provision for locking the Aadhaar details, people are not aware of such facilities .
“It is important for everyone to understand technology before adopting it. We are lacking in this. Most of us have the habit of first using technology, falling prey to crimes, and then doing research,” he said.
Mr. Krishna said 89% of cyber victims who lose money do not get it back owing to technical and banking regulations, he said.
Extent of cyber crimes
In his introductory remarks, Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, CID, M.A. Saleem, said that nearly 25% to 30% of the total crimes registered in major cities are cybercrimes. In Bengaluru city, one-third of the crimes registered in all police stations are cybercrimes.
In 2022, 65,000 cybercrime cases were registered across the country and the share of Karnataka was about 16,339 cases, which is 25%. Of the 16,339 cases, Bengaluru’s share was 90%, he said.
It appears that more criminals feel that the risk involved in physical crimes is more compared to cybercrimes, which can be committed from anywhere, he said.
