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Cud v b frenz…

Are your inbox and scrapbook filled with such messages? Think twice before you respond.

With more and more people falling prey to cyber crime, Calcutta police has come up with a 25-point guideline to help Internet users explore the virtual world safely.

Cyber security experts have, however, expressed doubts about its efficacy.

The police will initially visit schools to make students in higher classes aware about dangers lurking on the Net and the importance of following the guideline. The campaign will later cover adults.

“Internet users must know the fundamentals one should check before befriending someone in the virtual world. The owners of the websites used for cyber crimes often reside outside India. Such cases are very difficult to crack,” said deputy commissioner (detective department) Jawed Shamim.

According to the sleuths, crimes on the Internet other than cheating and blackmailing are becoming common. In one of the newer forms of cyber crime, the perpetrator hacks the personal website of the victim and seeks a loan from his contacts and friends, citing an emergency.

“In some cases, the friends gave money to the hacker. There is little that the owner of the website can do, except lodge a complaint,” said a senior officer.

The guideline includes advice like “change the passwords you use on the Internet frequently” and “don’t write down passwords or share them with anyone, even your best friend”.

People have been warned about meeting those they know only from the Internet without checking their background.

Children, the police have warned, should meet their Internet friends “only in public spaces and in the presence of parents”. The guideline states that one should never send one’s photograph or personal details to an acquaintance on the Internet.

Computer security experts said that while safety guidelines are important, there’s a pressing need for more police officers trained in handling cyber crime.

Cyber laboratories, like the ones set up by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chandigarh, should also come up in the city, said an expert.