Online Fraud Costs Chitwan Residents Rs 122.28 Million in One Year

Dragon Media Correspondent

A total of 521 complaints related to online fraud were registered in Chitwan during the last fiscal year. According to the complaints, victims lost a combined Rs 122,284,338 through various forms of online fraud.

Superintendent of Police Rameshwar Poudel, chief of the District Police Office Chitwan, said that Rs 22,998,643 of the defrauded amount had been recovered and returned to the victims. The recovered sum represents nearly 19 percent of the total reported losses.

Police said online fraud has increasingly been carried out through online shopping and marketing schemes, suspicious links sent through social media, attractive gift offers and other forms of financial inducement. Complaints involving losses ranging from as little as Rs 200 to several hundred thousand rupees are now being filed almost every day.

The police have urged the public not to accept friend requests from unknown individuals, avoid opening suspicious links and never share bank account details, passwords or verification codes with others. Citizens have also been advised to remain cautious about gift offers or financial opportunities that appear unusually attractive.

People who believe they have been defrauded online have been requested to immediately contact the nearest police office or relevant security agency. Police said prompt reporting can help prevent further transfers, identify the accounts involved and increase the possibility of recovering at least part of the stolen money.

During the last fiscal year, 390 separate complaints related to cybercrime were also registered in Chitwan. Of these, 375 cases were settled, while investigation and further legal action remain pending in 15 cases. The District Police Office said it handled the complaints in coordination with the Nepal Police Provincial Office.

In the previous fiscal year 2081/82 BS, a total of 411 cybercrime complaints had been registered. Of those, 398 were settled and 13 remained pending. Although the overall number of cybercrime complaints declined slightly, the amount lost through online fraud and the continuing flow of daily complaints indicate that digital financial crime is becoming an increasingly serious challenge.