Cyberfraud is an area which requires lot of attention: Rakesh Asthana

Former CBI chief Rakesh Asthana said on Saturday incidents of cyberfraud are increasing and this is a domain that now requires a lot of attention.

He cited his own case in which he became a victim of cyberfraud when he was serving as the Border Security Force (BSF) director general, and some fraudsters withdrew Rs 40,000 from his account using his Aadhaar biometrics.

"This is an area which requires a lot of attention not only from the police and the government law-enforcement bodies but also from private investigating agencies. You can assist the law enforcement agencies," Asthana said at an event, National Corporate Investigators Conclave-2023, organised by the Association of Professional Detectives & Investigators (APDI).

Talking about his case, Asthana, who also served as the Delhi Police chief, said the crime was linked to several places in Bihar and Jharkhand from where 40 people were arrested. Multiple laptops and mobile phones were seized, he said

One of the masterminds was son of a police officer who was an engineer and got into cybercrime as he could not get a job.

Asthana said the modus operandi they adopted to access his fingerprint was very surprising.

"I had purchased a flat some three years back so from the registry office they obtained my fingerprint, took a very high-definition photograph of it, and transferred it onto a butter paper. This was done by those private people who were employed by the banks and insurance companies," he said.

He also advised budding private investigators, who were present for the launch of a "Certified Corporate Investigator" programme by APDI, not to steal the personal data of individuals or corporates because this is against the law.

"We know about people who have secured private data through dubious means by paying money to the service providers and using it unauthorisedly. Please don't do that because it is not only illegal, it will cause a lot of harm to your company which is working with you for the sake of corporate investigation," Asthana said.

He was of the view that with the growing cases of corporate fraud and data theft, there is a dire need to have trained professionals.

He also said that though the role of private investigators and detectives is not mandated by law, they do support legal and investigating agencies. "Certification of private investigators and detectives will provide them with some legal sanctity. It will add value to their work," he added.

APDI Chairman Kunwar Vikram Singh, while launching the programme at the APDI National Corporate Investigators Conclave-2023, said corporate investigations are crucial in maintaining the integrity and trust within the business ecosystem.