Social media is not your resume, says Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime cell

The month of April is observed as the Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) which aims to create awareness and educate individuals, from all walks of life, regarding sexual violence. As an internationally observed annual campaign, this year, Yo! Vizag brings to you a closer look at how the Cyber Crime cell of Visakhapatnam City Police deals with online sexual violence.

Sexual assault is commonly known to be physical, but as the world of the internet is creeping deeper into our lives, cyber crime rates across the country seem to be going uphill. With open access and lesser vigilance, everyone from the largest metropolitans to the remotest rural areas are prone to become victims. The same is the case in the City of Destiny, where the Cyber Crime cell of Visakhapatnam has been efficiently working towards helping victims and creating awareness.

In a conversation with the Yo! Vizag team, Inspector RVRK Choudhary encouraged the effort to create more awareness around cyber crime. He pointed out that the youth are the most affected.

Sub Inspector (SI) K. Ravi Kishore elaborated on how one should be aware at all times. According to the SI, both men and women have come out as victims, but under different circumstances. “Women are most prone to sexual assault online, whereas men are more gullible to fraud leading from sexual advances. The common factor is that they are blackmailed with certain intimate images of themselves.”  He also added, “There have been many cases when male imposters with fake profiles pretend to be women and deceive other men using pre-downloaded pornographic videos.” Another common crime mentioned was the usage of WhatsApp to circulate child pornography. This is highly used by men.

Apart from social media handles, dating apps and matrimony sites have also become a medium of sexual violence using fake profiles. Common cases according to the SI start with befriending, which then leads to video calls where intimate images and videos are recorded in return for a favour. Lonely housewives, widows, teenagers, and men with complex issues are generally targeted.

The SI, along with Head Constable Nagakumari, provided a few insightful measures, one should take in order to be safe from such online sexual violence. “There is no need for users to put up their family history on social media sites, especially on Facebook, where you can go on listing up to your third cousin. Keep your profiles locked/private or at least use the option of ‘who can view’ and filter out strangers from your private content. Do not accept a friend request from strangers, as fake accounts overtake real accounts on social media.”

As most cyber crime cases reveal that the accused is a known person, it is easy for data points to be copied and used to blackmail. From contact numbers to addresses, it is advised to keep the ‘about me’ section blank. They also added, “Social media is not your resume. Keep your personal information away from the vultures looking for it.” The need to have more followers, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, has got the younger generation accepting people whom they hardly know. “More the strangers, more the dangers” say the cops.

Apart from measures to stay away from it, the Cyber Crime cell of Visakhapatnam has also provided ways for innocent victims to reach out. As the whole process could get overwhelming and hard to come out of, victims can also reach out without revealing their identities. Sworn to not judge the pretext of the situation, they are provided a safe haven. “We want the victims to be able to trust us. We are not here to blame, but only provide the necessary support,” the SI said.

If you are someone, or know someone, who has fallen prey to sexual assaults on the internet , you can directly contact the Cyber Crime cell of Visakhapatnam through their helpline WhatsApp number 9493336633 or visit them on the 2nd floor, VMRDA Building, Siripuram, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 530003.

Victims from across Andhra Pradesh can use the Disha app to raise complaints or log on to the cybercrime website.