Beware of the honey trap

“In need of a friend? Contact....” -- this kind of messages or calls may sound sweet but beware of the enchanting voice at the other end. It could well be a honey trap. The next time you are flooded with calls like these offering attractive schemes, believe it, it is time to pay a visit to the Cyber Crime Police Station. The calls originate from a few websites like www.joindiva.com. According to the Cyber Crime Police, this diva is no ordinary one. It’s a “friendship club” where you can befriend like-minded or a person of your choice from a data base of 30,0000 people. The portal, hosted by a few NRIs and operated from Siliguri, offers schemes as per the age, sex, location, marital status and education. What more, it also provides a registered member with a few contacts. In short, you can “buy a friend.” Registration is valid for either six months or a year. A typical response from diva’s customer care goes somewhat like this: “As soon as you register, the very first day you will receive five phone numbers of male or female friends of your choice. You can talk to them and if you don’t find them suitable, you will receive one more number every day for six months or a year. The registration charge for six months is `1, 600 and `3, 000 for one year which you have to deposit it in our bank account (ICICI and Axis). As soon as you deposit, you will start receiving phone numbers daily either through sms or e-mail. For more details contact: 09800005060’’. Interestingly, many youngsters from the twin cities are members of the club and quite a few have been cheated. But none of them is prepared to lodge a complaint with the police. “How can I visit the police station? When I was registered as a member for six months paying `1,600, they provided me with some contacts in the city. One day, we went to a lounge at Sameerpet. After spending some time, the girl decamped with my wallet. I lost my driving licence, ATM and Debit cards,’’ recalled Santhan (name changed), an IT employee working in Gachibowli. A few months back, based on a complaint lodged by a group of victims, the Cyber Crime Police arrested one person involved in this fraud. “We have noticed a number of such incidents and they are increasing these days. Most of the employees of IT, ITES and BPO companies and persons belonging to the high society are falling victims to this fraud. We will take stringent action against cheaters under Section 66D and 66A of the IT Act if we receive complaints,’’ said U Ram Mohan Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police, Cyber Crime.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com