Former Miss Nepal Sadiksha Shrestha was teaching students at a college on November 10. Suddenly, a call came in from a relative.

As soon as the brother called back, he asked, ‘And which hospital is it?’ She didn’t understand. She replied, ‘Which hospital, brother?’ ‘Didn’t you say that mommy was hospitalized?’ Sadiksha was surprised by his brother’s words. She said, ‘No.’ Thinking it strange, the brother said, ‘You had just texted me on Viber, I had sent 30,000.’ At first, Sadiksha didn’t even get the message. Because she had never talked to the brother on Viber. She used to talk on the phone or WhatsApp. ‘Send me a screenshot,’ Sadiksha asked.

She was shocked to see the screenshot from there. An unknown number asking for money from her brother on Viber with her name and photo. ‘He was forced to send money saying that his mother was in the hospital.’ The brother panicked and sent 30,000. After some time, I actually needed 50,000, and after I asked him not to send even 20,000 more, he called me,’ Sadiksha elaborates on the incident.

Recently, not only ordinary people, but also artists and celebrities are being scammed using their names and photos. They are sharing screenshots on social media and informing that the ‘scam’ is increasing.

Now even public representatives have started falling victim to fraud. She herself has made it public that she has been asking for money by misusing the photo and name of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol.

The scammer had repeatedly sent messages and called people she knew from a WhatsApp ID (9700445375) using Sunita's name and photo to ask for money. Since she is outside the Valley, the ID asks her to send money. But Sunita's acquaintances have already realized that this is a scam. Instead, she asks, 'Do you know what cybercrime is?'

After this incident, Deputy Mayor Sunita has urged everyone to be aware through social media Facebook. 'Information has been received that money is being demanded from a fake number by misusing my name and photo. This is not me and this is not my number. Please do not send money and do not respond if you receive such a message,' she urged. 'I have already initiated legal proceedings in this matter and have informed the Nepal Police and the concerned telecommunications agency,' she mentioned. Cyber ​​Bureau officials say - 'Only 10 percent of criminals are likely to be caught, the remaining 90 percent are difficult to catch.'

On Tuesday, actress Swastima Khadka also shared a screenshot on social media Facebook, writing, 'Be careful...! I have found that people are misusing my name to ask for money from close friends on WhatsApp and Viber, so I want to inform everyone not to fall for such messages.'

Swastima's friend was asked to send 30,000 from Viber, which used her name and photo, saying that she was out during the shooting. But Swastima's friend did not send it because she was aware of the scam. Then the friend sent Swastima a screenshot. 'Many friends had already told me about this fraud. I was a preppie. Now you have come to know about it from many places. That's why my friends also did not believe it,' she said.

Sadiksha's acquaintance also fell for this scam. She searched for how the scammer got the numbers of people close to her. 'A brother had a business. I was sharing the number to promote his business,' she said, 'I have been messaging everyone whose poster I have shared.'

The same incident also happened to actress Keki Adhikari. Once, an attempt was made to scam her using actress Mithila Sharma’s number. When Mithila was asked, she found out that she had been hacked. A few days ago, a person she had recently collaborated with was asked for money using Keki’s photo and name. ‘The relevant friend asked me to register a case. I was busy shooting and could not do it. My number was used, but it looks like my name and photo were used. There is a big gang involved in such fraud,’ she said. Content creator Mr. Foody also has the same experience. He recently sent a message to the owner of a brand he worked with using Foody's name and photo on WhatsApp and Viber. 'We had recently promoted you. It was great. I needed money, can you give me a loan?' After receiving the unbelievable message, Mr. Foody himself got a call from there. After realizing that he was being scammed using his name and photo, he posted a screenshot on social media a week ago. ‘Other friends also told me that it came from this number. Later, when I tried to check the number, it was the name of another creator. If that name did not work, they would change the name and photo,’ said Mr. Foody.

Influencer Oasin Sitaula’s WhatsApp was also hacked. The hacker asked his friend to send money via message from Osin's WhatsApp ID. The QR code sent to deposit the money was in Nepali. 'How does a hacker find out the number of a person close to them or a friend? This is a big question. His system has been hacked without him knowing,' says Osin.

Content creators Lemmy Tamang, Ekta Tandukar, actress Varsha Raut and other artists and influencers are also facing the same problem.

Even after filing a complaint, the money is not returned

According to Sadiksha, many friends have been scammed from the same number (9700235859). She even filed a complaint with the Cyber ​​Bureau. But the call from the bureau on Monday disappointed Sadiksha. The bureau official said, 'Nothing is going to happen.' You should call Viber's help desk yourself.'

She also informed Ncell about this. Ncell also replied that they could do nothing without a police report. She also contacted eSewa after the incident. 'eSewa replied immediately. They blocked the money for 24 hours. But after that, a police report is required to take action to return it,' she said, 'but our cyber bureau will do nothing.'

Mr. Foody did not go to file a complaint. The reason, he says, was that his friend had previously filed a complaint but there was no response from the police. A friend of Osin had also filed a complaint with the cyber bureau. 'Only 50,000 was returned. The police called Nabil Bank and seized the account there. But the rest could not be returned,' she said.

There is no alternative to being aware: Cyber ​​Bureau

According to SP Deepak Awasthi, spokesperson of the Cyber ​​Bureau of Nepal Police, in the current financial year alone, the bureau has received about 4,000 fraud cases. 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.

Pointing to the lack of resources, he says, 'Our bank does 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 we ourselves have no alternative to being aware.

He says that it is difficult to detect fraudsters because they use other people's accounts, not their own. 'The number or social media account used may not belong to them.' A crime is committed through a hacked number. The victim says, 'I didn't use it.' But technically it is not easy to prove it,' he said.