‘Email phishing’ emerging as new form of cybercrime

Kathmandu: ‘Phishing’ has been emerging as a new form of cybercrime with the growing use of social networking sites.

The Metropolitan Crime Division said lately it has been receiving 10-15 complaints about ’email phishing’ on a daily basis. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the phishing as “the activity of tricking people by getting them to give their identity, bank account numbers, etc. over the Internet or by email, and then using these to steal money from them”.

So it the illegal practice of accessing to other’s emails, information relating to other’s monetary transactions, password and credit numbers to steal money from them.

According to Division’s Cyber Section Chief Police Inspector Leelaraj Dangi, the risk of email phishing seems high while making payment through email for the purchase of goods from abroad.

Similarly, emails of trekking, travel and tour companies are at risk of coming under phishing. Complaints relating to having fraudulent access to other’s confidential information through hacking of facebook, twitter accounts for bargaining; identity theft (making fake IDs with other’s name and photos and giving other troubles which all fall under the definition of cybercrime have been registered at the Division.

In the latest three months of the current fiscal year, 452 cybercrime-related complaints were registered in the Division.

There is the case of swindling a people up to Rs 10 million through the social network in the name of lottery, he said. The police finding of so far is that the number of youths indulged in the cybercrime is more than others.

 People from 20 to 30 age group make up the highest percent (39.92) among those population identified as having associated with the cybercrime. The people from 10-20 years of age make up 22.05 percent followed by 29.91 percent of people from 30-40 age group.

People from 40-60 years of age are also found associated with cybercrime as they make up 7.98 percent. Division chief and Senior Superintendent of Police Sahakul Kumar Thapa advised to avoid haphazard access to contents suggesting free downloads or view on social network.

Such contents may promote cybercrime, he said, underlining the need of giving education about cybercrime and possible ways for its prevention in school and colleges. The Division has so far in the current fiscal year filed cases under cybercrime against 11 people.

Its statistics show that the crime will ultimately end in homelessness, distraction from study, and even suicides. The Central Cyber was established in 2075 BS to deal with the cybercrime.