Rupin Sharma , IPS
App Categories and Social Media Frauds
What are the different categories of Apps?
Android Operating System is the most commonly used one. On the Android phones, although different manufacturers have built some of their own ‘App Collections’ however, most apps are present on Google Play Store. Google Play Store is the most convenient and also the SAFEST way to download new apps as per your choice.
Google Play Store also marks Apps in Play Protect and Verified categories for the users. These are the apps which Google Play Store consider safe and secure.
In Google Play Store, the Apps are displayed under different categories, some of which are: -
[A] Games, Apps, Movies, Books
[B] For You, Top Charts, Kids, Categories, Editors’ Choice
[C] Categories: -
(i) Art and Design
(ii) Augmented Reality (AR)
(iii) Auto and Vehicles
(iv) Beauty
(v) Books and Reference
(vi) Business
(vii) Comics
(viii) Communication
(ix) Dating
(x) Education
(xi) Entertainment
(xii) Events
(xiii) Food and Drink
(xiv) Google Cast
(xv) Health & Fitness
(xvi) House & Home
(xvii) Kids
(xviii) Libraries & Demo
(xix) Lifestyle
(xx) Maps & Navigation
(xxi) Medical
(xxii) Music & Audio
(xxiii) News & Magazines
(xxiv) Parenting
(xxv) Personalisation
(xxvi) Photography
(xxvii) Productivity
(xxviii) Shopping
(xxix) Social
(xxx) Sports
(xxxi) Tools
(xxxii) Weather
(xxxiii) Travel & Local
(xxxiv) Video Players & Editors etc.
These categorisations help an Android phone user to easily navigate to a requirement of his choice and choose the appropriate Application.
Top Charts - is a category of all combinations which lists out the Apps which are most downloaded and most used by users worldwide or in a particular area. This lists popular Apps and games/movies etc. and is a reliable parameter on what to download and use.
Types of Social Media Frauds
Having briefly visited the gamut of internet, its structure, mobile telephony and their consumer interface through applications and social media, it would now be appropriate to visit how app permissions and social engineering are used to commit social media frauds.
Some of the common social media frauds are as follows: -
(i) Sympathy Frauds
(ii) Romance Frauds
(iii) Cyber Stalking
(iv) Cyber Bullying
(v) Cyber Extortion
Two other important frauds are (a) Mobile Application Frauds and (b) Online Banking Frauds.
(i) Sympathy Frauds: -
These typically comprise the attacker using fake identities on social media or creating fake profiles and then sending friend requests to probable victims.
The attacker slowly gains trust of the probable victims initially through frequent, unsuspecting interactions.
Once the attacker has gained the trust, he would usually pose as if either he or someone close to him is in immediate need of help – either money or to pay off for debts or pay off for his own treatment or those of his family members or children or relatives etc. it may also take the shape of seeking money for children’s education or helping people in distress.
Once the sympathy is gained, the attacker may either directly request money transfer to a bank account through online transfer or ask the victim to click on links or URLs to transfer the money.
Caution –
(i) Never trust virtual strangers
(ii) Never be sympathetic to the strangers seeking help.
(iii) Never transfer online money to strangers upon their requests;
(iv) Always ask for a ‘call back’ number from the stranger/ attacker;
(v) Always ask for a video call with the attacker with the attacker;
(vi) Always check from others if they have received similar messages or communications;
(vii) Always report to police about such attempts;
(viii) At the earliest available instance, block the attacker and report to the Social Media company.
(ii) Romance Frauds –
Internet and social media users receive fraud request usually from opposite genders. The sender and victim start chatting and even share their habits or preferences and then strike a ‘friendly chord.’
The friend request sender may withhold his/her correct identity and even propose the receiver for a date or a meeting. The sender may abuse or exploit the person or property of the receiver, all with mutual consent, but without knowing the correct identity. The attacker vanishes and deletes the social media account too.
The attacker may even make videos of the intimate moments or just make false assertions that he has such videos of the victim.
Even if a complaint is filed, it may be difficult to tack down the accused/ attacker because he may have concealed his virtual identity too besides incorrect personal details.
Cautions –
(i) Avoid receiving friend requests from strangers;
(ii) Avoid entering into prolonged conversations or chats with strangers;
(iii) Try to engage the strangers in audio-visual calls before physical meetings;
(iv) Ensure that video calls or snapshots are available with you from live calls.
(v) Avoid physical meetings/ dates with strangers alone. Let someone accompany you;
(vi) Do not get virtually or physically intimate with strangers at any cost- at least not in the first few meetings/ dates;
(vii) Do not share personal details or details of your jobs or financial background/ dealings with social media friends whom you have no absolute trust;
(viii) Keep family/ friends informed of such meetings with Social Media friends.
Usually, the friend requests for romance would be received from strangers posing as socially and economically/ financially well-off people. This is an additional trap.
People posing as if their family life is disturbed or approaching those victims whose family/ mutual friendship and lives are under strain are also commonly used tricks.
In the same manner, the attacker may also try to project himself as being from a western or European or American or developed country also profess to be the same religion as the victim he has chosen.
In many cases, the accused attacker would simultaneously target multiple victims too, hoping to get lucky with some.
Delay in meeting personally can be a good safety cushion too.
(iii) Cyber Stalking –
This could happen with people, especially girls and ladies who frequently update their status and locations on social media.
People who update their location status or travel plans become vulnerable to possible ‘stalkers’ who may befriend them using the publicly available information about travels. They can make friends and later exploit their victims by threatening to upload the videos or photographs or even false information.
Cautions –
(i) Do not update location or location settings should be turned off;
(ii) Do not update travel plans, especially forthcoming travels;
(iii) Report all attempts at cyber-stalking and advances either to police or inform family/ friends;
(iv) Do not get intimate with strangers or stalkers – maintain physical distance;
(v) Be sure about your activities while on travels and never given in to demands if you are sure about your actions;
(vi) Do not share intimate details or photographs with anyone of your friends or strangers;
(vii) Stalkers can use publicly available information for molesting/abusing the victims.
Investigation of cyber-crimes including cyber- stalking is a very difficult task, especially as compared to the severity of the crime vis-à-vis the resources available or deployable to investigate such crimes.
(iv) Cyber Bullying –
This is the act of a group of persons attacking someone virtually on social media. The virtual attacks could be rooted in differences in opinions, ideas, ideological reasons, actions or inactions or beliefs etc. Cyber bullying is also called TROLLING.
While freedom of speech and expression and dissent are essential features of a democracy, however, excessive bullying on the social media is an undesirable act.
Cyber bullying, especially if it is targeted against someone, and always from the same person can be considered a criminal act. Cyber bullying may take various forms like satire, jokes, memes, audio-visual acts, abusive and defamatory acts against targets or victims or even repetitive acts which prevent a victim of expressing himself/ herself on social media. Cyber bullying is a tactic increasing employed amongst youngsters and adolescents to settle smaller animosities.
Cyber bullying or trolling of pubic figures is quite common and is a form of expression of dissent or disapprobation.
Cautions: -
(i) Avoid Cyber confrontations;
(ii) Avoid/ disengage from cyber bullies and do not engage with them on social media platform;
(iii) In case of children and adolescents, be careful and cautious about any changes in their behaviour including their becoming excessively aggressive or depressive may indicate trolling;
(iv) If children or adolescents who would otherwise be using social media, suddenly withdraw from social media or stop using internet;
(v) If the children or adolescents stop talking to friends or parents, it may indicate that the child may already be a victim of excessive cyber bullying;
(vi) Children/ Adolescents should be AWARE that cyber bullying is a punishable crime and that they can/ need to report and approach police;
(vii) The offensive or abusive or bullying messages should not be deleted because they can be evidence during police investigation.
