SP urges citizens to verify investment offers, avoid dialling unknown codes and report cyber fraud immediately
Yamunanagar | Pen of Democracy News Desk
Yamunanagar Superintendent of Police Kamaldeep Goyal, IPS, has issued a public advisory cautioning citizens against the growing threat of fake online investment schemes and call forwarding frauds, warning that cyber criminals are increasingly targeting unsuspecting users through social media and deceptive phone calls.
The SP said fraudsters frequently circulate bogus investment advertisements on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and other social media networks by misusing the names, photographs and videos of well-known industrialists, financial experts, celebrities and public personalities. These advertisements typically promise unusually high returns within a short period to lure people into investing.
“Once victims transfer money, the fraudsters disappear, leaving them with significant financial losses,” he said.
Highlighting another emerging cyber threat, Goyal said criminals are also exploiting call forwarding scams. In such cases, callers impersonate bank officials, telecom representatives or government employees and persuade people to dial specific codes on their mobile phones under the pretext of resolving technical issues or updating services.
Activating these codes may redirect incoming calls, including One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and banking verification calls, to the fraudsters, enabling them to gain unauthorised access to financial accounts and digital services.
The Superintendent of Police advised citizens to thoroughly verify the authenticity of any investment proposal before transferring money and not to rely solely on the use of a celebrity’s name or image in online advertisements.
He also urged mobile users never to dial call-forwarding codes at the request of unknown callers. As a precaution, citizens should periodically check whether call forwarding has been activated on their phones and immediately disable it if found to be enabled.
Goyal further advised the public to avoid clicking suspicious links and never share confidential information such as OTPs, bank account details, ATM PINs or UPI credentials with anyone.
He said cyber criminals often exploit greed and urgency to deceive victims and urged people to independently verify any suspicious communication through official channels before taking action.
Appealing for greater public awareness, the SP said vigilance, verification and digital literacy remain the strongest safeguards against cybercrime. He added that anyone who becomes a victim of online fraud should report the incident immediately through the National Cyber Helpline (1930) or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal without delay so that timely action can be taken to minimise financial losses.
