Ahmedabad: The world is changing rapidly after the Covid pandemic. Countries have fast caught the path of digital. During this time professionals have realized that reskilling and upskilling are necessary to keep pace with technological changes. However, this trend was not limited to corporates only. Cybercriminals have also started mastering their work. From sextortion to OLX scams, cyber thugs from Ahmedabad are now going to Nigeria to get training in hacking, phishing, and other cyber thugs, after learning how to commit cyber frauds from home centers like Jamtara, Alwar, and Mewat.
According to a TOI report, some youths from Ahmedabad have gone to Nigeria to study practicals to theory on how to successfully cheat people online. A Home Department official said that ‘this is not the first time that big crooks are training local fraudsters. Earlier, criminals from Ahmedabad have gone to Jamtara in Jharkhand, Mewat in Haryana, as well as Alwar and Bharatpur in Rajasthan for training.
An official confirmed that they have information that three or four men had traveled to Nigeria last year to attend a month-long training session. A source having knowledge of the incident said that ‘there they are taught all the tricks of cheating. They are taught about it from theory to practice. Most of their targets are people from European countries or America. ‘ The source further said that in practical ‘interns’ are taught how to easily trap their target. They are taught to either lure or threaten the target with their money.
The ‘interns’ are also taught how to create fake social media profiles, which are used to keep in touch with the target. A source working with a law enforcement agency in New Delhi said that ‘after taking training from Nigeria, some youths from Ahmedabad settled in Uttamnagar area of New Delhi, from where they started operating their network’. It is known that last year, 65 suspects were arrested from 22 cities in India due to a comprehensive campaign by the cyber police unit of Delhi.
