Date of Publishing:28/09/2010

Location:Bangalore

Cyber Cops Give Chase, But Leads Turn Cold

Bangalore: Nigerian hackers are creating carriers all over the country, making it difficult for investigating officers in cyber crime police stations to track cases. Earlier, it was only to Mumbai that money from hacked accounts was transferred. Now, hackers are creating carriers in Delhi and, in some cases, moving to the North-East too. Mizoram and Manipur are new favourite destinations, where hacked money is being moved.

"Whenever we get a complaint, we trace the final beneficiary sitting across the border, especially in places like Nigeria. However, we trace the carrier account to be in Mumbai, Delhi or in the North-East. When we send our officers, a local person who was coaxed into the scam is present. Sometimes, the accounts are opened by furnishing false address proofs, where investigating officers don’t manage to track any account holder," CID DIG Malini Krishnamoorthy told TOI.

Now, the state CID is planning to take up the issue during a forthcoming conference on economic offences, scheduled to be held in Bangalore on October 6. "It is difficult for us to keep sending personnel to faraway places, in anticipation of nabbing the criminal. We want to work out a strategy with the cyber crime police in those places, so there is coordination between the agencies during such situations,’’ she said.

Whenever cyber criminals hack bank accounts, they prepare carrier accounts to move their money. In some cases, they lure locals, under the guise of employing them, and ask them to handle the money in the quickest possible time. When the money lands into their account, the lured person withdraws the money and hands it over to the local contact of the hacker.

It has come to light that some of the Nigerian nationals who stay in India with expired visas, are also part of such frauds. They come and receive the money and later transfer it to Nigeria. Some people are approached by such Nigerians, who come up with sob stories that they are in urgent need of money, but do not have a bank account. They request the locals to lend their bank account number, so their relatives can transfer money to the account, which he can then withdraw.

In some places, they also offer commission for handling the money. Once they get hold of the carrier, money is transferred to such accounts, withdrawn and taken away. “Those who get caught are the local people, who lend their accounts for such use. We are taking up this issue during the conference,’’ Malini Krishnamoorthy added.

Web Resource for Reference of the Above Mentioned Article:

• TIMES NEWS NETWORK