Why in the News
The Supreme Court directed the Centre, States, and Union Territories to implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) within four weeks to curb digital arrest cyber fraud, including freezing mule accounts, strengthening grievance redressal, and improving cybercrime coordination.
What is a Digital Arrest Scam?
- A cyber fraud where scammers impersonate police or enforcement agencies through video/audio calls.
- Victims are falsely told they are under “digital arrest” and coerced into transferring money.
What is a Mule Account?
- A bank account used to receive and transfer proceeds of cyber fraud.
- Often opened by unsuspecting or paid individuals.
- Banks can impose temporary debit holds to prevent fraudulent withdrawals.
What is the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)?
- A nodal agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for coordinating India’s response to cybercrime.
- Operates the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the 1930 Cyber Helpline.
Supreme Court Directions
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue SOPs for temporary debit holds on mule accounts.
- States/UTs to operationalise:
- State Cyber Crime Coordination Centres.
- e-Zero FIR mechanism.
- Strengthen grievance redressal, money restoration, and public awareness.
Challenges
- Cross-border cybercrime networks.
- Rapid movement of funds through mule accounts and cryptocurrencies.
- Weak inter-agency coordination.
- SIM spoofing and fake identities.
- Low public awareness, especially among the elderly.
Value Addition
e-Zero FIR
- Enables registration of a cybercrime complaint without jurisdictional barriers.
- The complaint is later transferred to the appropriate police station.
Citizen Response to Financial Cyber Fraud
- Call 1930 immediately.
- Report the incident on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
- Early reporting increases the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions.
Back2Basics: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
- Parent Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- Established: 2020.
- Key Components:
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
- 1930 Financial Cyber Fraud Helpline.
- Mandate: Coordinate law enforcement, banks, telecom operators, and other stakeholders to prevent and investigate cybercrime.
“[2017] In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cyber security incidents?
1. Service providers
2. Data Centres
3. Body corporate
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3