There has been significant rise in cyber crime activity during pandemic: Odisha DGP

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police has collected whopping Rs 9.84 crore fine for Covid guideline violations in the State since April 1. This was informed by DGP Abhay at a presser here today.

He further added action has been taken against 3,16,682 persons for violation of the Covid protocol. A total of 2,180 shops and markets were either sealed or shut for the norm violations. As many as 821 persons have been arrested since April 1 for not adhering to the norms.

Cautioning against fraud websites seeking personal information in the name of Covid vaccine registration, the DGP asked people of the State not to provide their data to any platform other than www.cowin.gov.in, Umang app and Aarogya Setu App for vaccine registration. The three web-based platforms have been developed by the Government of India.

There has been a considerable increase in cyber crimes during the Covid pandemic, the DGP added.

Some websites claim to provide Covid medicine and oxygen support and asked for pre-payment. People are required to be cautious about them and cross-check their truthfulness, Abhay added.

Callers in the name of providing telemedicine, selling Covid cure drugs also try to extract personal information. Similarly, some fraud e-commerce websites ask for pre-payment for home delivery. User of such websites should cross check so that they don’t get duped, the DGP added.

“Be cautious while sharing personal information. Be cautious against app seeking unlimited notification access,” he added.

Social media users must be aware of the privacy setting of the sites and act accordingly. Some fraudsters have also been duping people by collecting money on pretext of charity. Donors must verify the authenticity of such websites or callers before donating money, the DGP suggested.