Goa cautioned against laxity in curbing cyber crime

NT NETWORK
Posted on 2008-12-14
PANAJI — The director of Intelligent Quotient Private limited, Mr Harold D’Costa on Saturday cautioned the Goa government against any laxity in curbing cyber crime as it is gaining importance with the number of cyber crime cases reported in the country being on the rise. Mr Costa said cyber crime has become the biggest mantra in the country and Goa should take cognisance of this fact.
Addressing a workshop on ‘Cyber crimes - its prevention and detection’ organised by the Directorate of Prosecution in collaboration with El-Shaddai, an NGO, Mr Costa informed that this form of crime is the second largest in Maharashtra which is closely followed by bank robberies.While highlighting on the subject to a large gathering of public prosecutors, Mr Costa said Goa is a computer savvy state and added that this technology should not fall into the hands of children since the state government has started distributing computers to students under a scheme. He also said that a watch should be kept on cyber cafes which are frequented by tourists who could misuse the technology.
He informed that there are various forms of cyber crimes that include cyber trespass, cyber fraud, cyber laundering, cyber vandalism and cyber stability. He said that one needs to be careful when using technology to transact business as cyber crimes are on the rise. He disclosed ways of distinguishing between a fake web site and a genuine one.
Giving examples of how cyber crimes are committed, he said after the Mumbai terror attacks, a television channel received a mail from Deccan Mujahideen which revealed that the mail was sent from Russia whereas it was actually sent from Pakistan.
He mentioned about another case wherein he said that a person working in a bank as a technician was sacked from his job. The person, before leaving, developed a computerised system through which he collected a sum of Rs 40 lakh.
A girl was looted to the tune of Rs 90,000 by a person who sent her an email saying she would be given a high-salaried job in Saudi Arabia. The girl was tempted and sent in the cash which the person asked for. On investigation, it was revealed that the mail was sent from Aurangabad.
Mr D’Costa said majority of Indians are unaware of such cyber crimes and added that the US has had to suffer loss due to the misuse of cyber technology. He said countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are in a better position to tackle cyber crimes as they have a secure system.