Recently, 22-year-old Samia was arrested for posing as a cancer patient and collecting a whopping Rs 22 lakh by way of crowdfunding through Facebook. While Rs 10 lakhs of the money went to her father, who was actually being treated for cancer, the rest of it was used to clear off her debts, on which the unassuming donors would not have spent their hard-earned money.
S. Jayaram
It’s possible for many to fall prey to such behaviour since several heart-warming posts along with graphic photographs, make their way on social media. It is essential that people are careful about their actions online. Cyber crime Assistant Commissioner of Police, S. Jayaram and Riyazuddin, Inspector of police cyber cell, Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, share their advice here.
Md. Riyazuddin
- The donor needs to do a thorough background check of the person who is asking for donation. Ask for their email address, phone number and their photograph.
- Cross-check their numbers with apps like Truecaller, to make sure.
- Ask them for details of the hospital that the patient is admitted in.
- Call the hospital and verify if the patient is really admitted there.
- If you stay in the same city as the person who is asking for a donation, make sure you go to the hospital and meet them.
- Keep in mind that most often than not, such pleas floating around on social media, be it WhatsApp or Facebook, are fake. Don’t believe everything that you see on the Internet.
- A person who has been cheated as well as the person being impersonated (someone whose photograph or personal information is being used by someone else, pretending to be them) can lodge a police complaint.
- To register a case, one will have to walk into the nearest police station (people staying in Cyberabad need to go to the stations in their zone and people in Hyderabad need to go to stations in their zone) and file a written complaint. It need not be filed at cyber crime stations alone.
- But if you just want to block them, report them or take the page down so no more donations happen, it can be done over a phone call.
