People of Tripura lost Rs 51.49cr in cyber frauds since 2021: DGP

Agartala, Aug 30 (PTI) People of Tripura have lost Rs 51.49 crore in cyber frauds since 2021, DGP Anurag Dhankar said.

Addressing a programme on cybercrime on Saturday, Dhankar said that while people of the state lost Rs 1.98 crore in cyber frauds in 2021, the figure rose to Rs 25.54 crore in 2024.

He said, however, the number of cases was coming down due to awareness among the people.

"Altogether 269 individuals in the state have fallen victim to cyber fraud so far, collectively incurring losses of Rs 51.49 crore," he said.

Dhankar said Rs 33.84 lakh of the total amount has already been recovered, and around Rs 5.76 crore is in 20,387 frozen bank accounts.

"Cybercriminals usually exploit people through fake electricity and gas bills, fraudulent investment schemes, impersonation of police or income tax officials, OTP theft, social media harassment, online lottery and fraud on hotel booking platforms," he said.

Dhankar appealed to the people to take various steps as a precaution, such as installing only essential apps, using strong passwords, and regularly updating them.

The DGP cautioned people against falling for fake social media ads on 'work from home'. PTI PS SOM