Ahmedabad: Looking for a Garba partner this Navratri? Social media may have plenty of takers — but the Ahmedabad police are warning citizens to think twice before responding to “rent-a-partner” advertisements flooding social media platforms.City police’s social media cell and cybercrime branch have started examining such advertisements, which offer partners for Garba and Navratri events at specified prices. Police have cautioned citizens against blindly responding to the posts, warning that some could potentially be bait for fraud.Deputy commissioner of police, city cybercrime, Lavina Sinha said preliminary information suggested that greater awareness was needed on the issue.“Many times, it can happen that there is no person at the end of these messages and it could be a scam,” Sinha said in a video warning issued by the police.She cautioned that people responding to such advertisements could be sent unknown links or QR codes to make payments. In some cases, users may also be asked to click a link or download an image or video to view photographs or other details. “There is a potential that this can be a scam link or a fraud link,” she said.Sinha also warned people against communicating with unknown individuals through such advertisements without verifying their identity. Apart from financial fraud, she said there could be a possibility of unauthorised activity when people interact with strangers.The DCP urged citizens to alert police if they encounter suspicious activity linked to such advertisements.She also urged anyone who suffers financial fraud after responding to such an advertisement, clicking a suspicious link or transferring money to immediately approach the nearest police station or the cybercrime branch.
