Don’t befriend strangers on Facebook, avoid honey traps: Police

Hyderabad: Cybercrime police have cautioned people in the city to be careful while accepting friend requests and chatting with strangers on Facebook.

Given the rise in the number of friend requests on Facebook especially from across the border, the cybercrime police have also expressed concern over fake profiles with pictures of pretty women, claiming to be from across the border.

To caution people in this regard, an advisory has been issued by the concerned authorities.

According to a report by Telangana Today, Cybercrimes ACP KVM Prasad said, “A friend request on Facebook can be sent from any part of the world by anyone with good or ulterior motives. One should refrain from accepting friend requests from unknown persons on any social networking platforms”

Honey Traps

Honey Traps have been the most commonly used tactic with regards to cybercrime. In a recent incident, a postman from Rajasthan was arrested for allegedly sharing confidential information with a person from across the border. Similarly, in June this year, a person was held by the Delhi police for allegedly sharing information with his handlers, who were supposedly based in Pakistan. It is said that the man came in contact with the handlers as he accepted a request from a woman.

Another official from the cybercrime branch expressed concerns over a rising number of friend requests and said, “Many of those accounts were created recently and we found that many people were accepting the requests. It could also be an attempt by organized cheating gangs operating in North India who are desperate for business by honey-trapping men for easy money.”

Increasing friend requests from across the border

In recent times people have raised concerns over the increasing friend requests from the neighboring country, However, officials were of the view that such cases are being investigated, and it would be too early to say whether all these requests have come from Pakistan.