TN Police warn public to be wary of fake profiles of cyber crime wing on social media

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Police’s Cyber Crime wing has warned the public to be wary of fake social media handles misusing the official name and logo of the wing.

The Cyber Crime wing has identified 10 fake Instagram handles and four X (previously twitter) handles misrepresenting themselves as the official handle. All identified fake handles were reported to the respective platforms under impersonation for blocking these accounts.

Few of X handles names were ‘TN.CYBERCRIME AND CYBER SECURITY @Cybercrime89955’, ‘TN cyber help center @TN-Cyber-crime’ and Instagram profiles were named as ‘cyber.crime.in-tamilnadu’, ‘tncybercrimewings1930, and ‘tncyber-crime-official’, etc. Public are advised not to rely on the information posted by such accounts as the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing has only one social media account (@tncybercrimeoff) each in Facebook, Instagram and X.

“These handles mislead citizens by using names closely resembling official accounts, misusing government logos, and creating a false sense of legitimacy. Such a proliferation poses significant risk to public trust and digital safety,” stated an official release. “The Cyber Crime wing has taken quick action against the impersonators.”

Public are advised to avoid sharing personal information such as Aadhaar numbers, bank details, or OTPs to any unofficial or suspicious handle, and also report any suspicious social media handles that misuse government logos, names, or insignia to the authorities immediately.

If you suspect that you have been a victim of any cybercrime or have come across any suspicious activity, take immediate action. Report the incident by dialling 1930 (Cyber Crime Tollfree Helpline) in case of financial frauds, or register a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in