The Home Office’s cyber arm, I4C, has taken tough action against online fraud and blocked 600,000 mobile phones. At the same time, 65,000 online fraudulent URLs were also blocked on orders from the cyber wing of the Ministry of Interior. Providing important information, sources told Aaj Tak that around 800 apps involved in online fraud have also been blocked. The Home Office’s I4C unit is continuously taking significant steps to prevent online fraud.
In fact, the NCRP (National Cybercrime Reporting Portal) has received more than 100,000 investment fraud complaints in 2023. About 17,000 FIRs related to this have been registered across the country. From January 2024 to September 2024, a total of 6,000 digital arrest complaints, 20,043 transaction fraud complaints, 62,687 investment fraud complaints, and 1,725 dating fraud complaints were received.
In the past four months, I4C and state agencies have jointly frozen the debits of 325,000 Mule accounts (fraudulent accounts). According to sources, a total of 3,401 different internet infrastructures such as social media, websites, WhatsApp groups used for cyber crimes were shut down in the past few months.
According to sources in the Home Ministry, cyber fraud has saved us Rs 2,800 crore in the past few years, of which the cyber department of the Ministry of Home Affairs has saved 805,000 cyber victims from cyber fraud. .
The I4C wing is taking many steps to tackle cybercrime –
1. Establish a national coordination center to handle cybercrime-related cases nationwide.
2. Helps in filing cybercrime related complaints easily.
3. Help law enforcement agencies prevent cybercrime.
4. Identify cybercrime trends and patterns.
5. Guidelines issued to raise awareness about cybercrime.
6. Identify and act on fake digital platforms.
7. Issue digital arrest alert: Alert state and union territory police on an increase in digital arrests.
9. Cyber commando training. Train and equip 5,000 cyber commandos over the next five years.
What is Wing 14C?
The I4C Wing was established on October 5, 2018, under the Central Sector Program of the Cyber and Information Security Department (CIS Department) of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its main objective is to establish a national level coordination center to address all issues related to cybercrime across the country. The center monitors high-priority cases through connectivity with control rooms in all states.
The portal is dedicated to cooperation and coordination in detecting counterfeit cards and accounts used in cybercrime, preventing cybercrime, analyzing and investigating crimes. CCTV recording requests can be sent through the platform. In addition, the platform provides technical and legal support. Paramilitary forces and national police personnel have been selected for this purpose.
