Date:04/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/04/stories/2005070413650200.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

A task cut out for cyber police

Special Correspondent

Hackers accessing bank accounts frightens banks

BANGALORE: The cyber police suddenly find their hands full; hackers are accessing individual bank accounts online and getting unwary people disclose their passwords or other confidential details.

These issues were discussed in-depth here on Saturday at a one-day workshop jointly organised by ICICI Bank Ltd. and Karnataka Police.

Anil Kaul, Joint General Manager of the bank, said a closer interaction between financial institutions and the law enforcement agencies can help prevent white-collar crime.

Banks have realised that in today's scenario, with urban crime itself on the rise, the police have little time for skill enhancement related to crime such as bank frauds. More than 50 officers of the Bangalore city police and the Corps of Detectives attended the day-long workshop inaugurated by the Director-General of Police, CoD, K.R. Srinivasan.

During the discussions on fraud related to retail financial products, the officials discussed the far-reaching implications of fraud in the Indian context. Quoting surveys, they elaborated the typical sources of fraud and the emerging profile of those committing the crime.

The bank officials also demonstrated the details of the credit card product, its various security features and how they can be tampered with for misuse. Another aspect the police showed interest in was how to curb the use of cards for narcotics purchases, smuggling and gunrunning. The applications of the Indian Penal Code and its recent additions to deal with crime committed over the Internet were also discussed.