HAZARIBAG: Fraudsters cheating people through fake social media profiles of govt officials is not new in Jharkhand. But in a bold new recent case, cyber criminals created a fake account of Hazaribag deputy commissioner Nancy Sahay, a trend which is worrying, police said. Befriending several people on Facebook, the fraudsters then sought money from them.After the issue came to light, Sahay urged people to remain cautious on social media and not to blindly accept requests from strangers or suspects in any way.A police officer in the cyber cell said, “This is a worrying trend where cyber criminals are misleading the public by exploiting the credibility of high-ranking officials and attempting to extort money from them. Not only was a fake Facebook account of Sahay cretaed, but there was also a case of chatting with people with the intention of extorting money using her official photo.”The officer said that cyber criminals created a fake Facebook profile using the name, photo, and designation of the DC. Friend requests were then sent to people from this fake profile, making them believe they are connecting with Sahay herself. Once a person accepted the friend request, the criminals demand money through Facebook Messenger by making various excuses. This can be in the name of a personal emergency, a donation for a project, or any other type of help.According to police officials, cheating by creating a fake account in the name of a DC is a serious cybercriminal case. Taking the issue seriously, police officials said efforts were underway to trace the fraudsters using digital footprints and arrest them. Meanwhile, Sahay appealed to all residents of the district, officials, relatives, and well-wishers not to react in any way to such fake Facebook accounts and to report and block them.
