The police, telecommunications companies, and the Film Development Board have urged people to be vigilant after incidents of artists including Rima Bishwakarma, Anmol KC, and Dayahang Rai being misused to solicit money from fake accounts have increased.
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The trend of online fraud using the names and images of celebrities and well-known people has not stopped.
Last Friday in Ikantipur, a news story titled ‘Scam in the name of celebrities and public representatives: Relatives being cheated, money hard to get back’ was published. On Saturday, actress Reema Bishwakarma informed that she was being asked for money using her name and identity through the social network Facebook. ‘Please do not trust such messages, calls or requests. If you see such activities, please report them and make others aware,’ Reema wrote. A call has been made to Reema’s identity from the number 9708062322. A person known to Reema has been asked for 30 thousand from that account. The person known to her has heard about this scam. He says, ‘Okay, okay. I have 90 thousand in my account. But it has been blocked.’ It will be activated after depositing 10 thousand. Deposit 10 thousand and I will refund 40 thousand.' Then the fake account threatens, 'Election is over. If I win, what will I do to you first?' Actor Anmol KC was also forced to raise awareness through social media after learning that his photo and name were being misused and scammed.
Anmol's name and number have been misused and 25 thousand have been demanded from the account. 'I will send you 25 thousand. You can give it to my mother and it is an emergency,' Anmol's name comes from the misused account. But Anmol's friend does not believe it.
Anmol has also urged people to be aware of the scam that is being used to scam people through social media.
Actor Dayahang also urged people to be aware of the scam that is being used to scam people online through Facebook. ‘All friends, be careful, they are asking for money in my name, it is not true, it is a scam,’ he wrote.
Online fraudsters have now demanded 30,000 to 50,000. Former Miss Nepal Sadiksha Shrestha’s relatives were cheated of 30,000 in this way.
Actress Swastima Khadka, Keki Adhikari, Mithila Sharma, actor Akash Shrestha, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol, influencer Osin Sitaula, content creator Mr. Foodie, Lemmy Tamang, Ekta Tandukar, actress Mithila Sharma and others were also tried to cheat online through WhatsApp and Viber accounts by misusing their names and photos.
The Film Development Board issued a notice on Saturday, urging people to avoid such incidents. ‘Recently, there have been increasing cases of fraud on social media platforms including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and others, using photos of artists and filmmakers to create fake IDs, hack real IDs, and ask for money from friends and well-wishers,’ the board has mentioned. ‘If someone asks for money in the name of an artist or filmmaker, do not send any amount without confirming that it is a real person. Let’s be aware, let’s avoid fraud.’
Artists complain that no action has been taken even after complaining to the Cyber Bureau. Former Miss Nepal Sadiksha said that the response she received when she complained to the Cyber Bureau was unexpected. ‘Nothing is going to happen. You should call Viber’s help desk yourself,’ she says, quoting the response from the bureau.
Victims have complained that no action has been taken even after informing Ncell and eSewa.
Ncell says – Formal complaint should be filed
Ncell has also said that necessary action will be taken against those who commit such frauds as per the law, but the victim should come after completing the process.
In response to a question asked by Kantipur, Ncell said through an official email, ‘Since such complaints have to be presented with evidence, the victim should file a formal complaint with the police as per the due process.’
Ncell said that it has been working closely with law enforcement agencies and has been blocking numbers involved in unauthorized use if necessary. ‘Most fraud-related incidents are beyond the direct control of the telecom company. Even after following all regulatory requirements and internal procedures, the most effective protection is user awareness and responsible use,’ Ncell mentioned in an email.
Cyber Bureau says – Let’s be aware
The Cyber Bureau says that raising awareness is the best option in this regard. According to Nepal Police Cyber Bureau spokesperson SP Deepak Awasthi, the bureau has received about 4,000 fraud cases in the current fiscal year alone.
He says that everyone from artists to the general public should be aware of this. According to Awasthi, only 10 percent of criminals are likely to be caught. The remaining 90 percent are difficult to catch.
He points out the lack of resources, saying, 'Our banks do not have full technical integration. Nepal is not Europe or America either. Our infrastructure, international data exchange is weak. The general public should also understand that. It cannot be done by blaming the police alone.'
Therefore, he says that there is no alternative to being aware ourselves.
