Cyberbullying declines, new cybercrimes emerge: Report

While cyberbullying has decreased in the country, there is a growing concern over the rise of new forms of cybercrimes, such as app-based fraudulence, which poses a threat to people's online security, according to the report "Bangladesh Cybercrime Trend 2023" released by the Cybercrime Awareness Foundation (CAF).

The findings were presented during a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday.

According to the report, cyberbullying accounted for 52.21% of all reported online crimes in 2022. These cases involved activities such as pornography, indecent messaging, and abusive posts on social media. This percentage was 59.90% in 2017.

The report attributed the decrease in cyberbullying cases to factors such as enhanced awareness campaigns and increased implementation of preventive measures.

The organisation indicates a notable increase in new forms of cybercrimes, rising from 1.81% in the 2022 report to 6.91% in the 2023 report. A significant portion of these crimes are associated with fake job circulars and various app-based fraudulences.

Meanwhile, the report brought to light a rise in financial fraud cases in the cyber realm. In 2022, a concerning 14.64% of people fell victim to online shopping scams, indicating a worrisome trend.

CAF President Kazi Mustafiz referred to the statistics from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch Cyber and Special Crime division regarding financial fraudulence in cyberspace. Among the 406 cases in that division, 98 cases, accounting for approximately 24% of the total, were related to financial scams.

Another 17.73% cases were reported to the unit related to mobile banking and financial services related scam.

He further added that there has been a dramatic surge in scams where people are deceived under the guise of lucrative offers for online buying and purchases.

Additionally, the report emphasised that hacking primarily targeted social media accounts of women, comprising 25.18% of all reported cases.

The CAF report also highlighted a worrying trend in the number of victims filing complaints related to cybercrime offenses.

In recent years, there has been a notable decrease in the number of complaints lodged. In 2018, approximately 61% of cybercrime victims filed complaints, whereas last year, that figure significantly dropped to 20.83%.

Around 75% of the survey respondents who were victims fell into the age group of 18 to 30. This age group experienced attacks on social media through fake post campaigns or their accounts were hacked.

Furthermore, in 2022, child victims accounted for a total of 14.82% of all reported cases, which represents a significant increase of 140.87% compared to 2018. These children primarily faced harassment on social media platforms.

During the report launching programme, several notable individuals were in attendance, including Mohammad Saiful Alam Khan, project director of BGD e-GOV CIRT, Rasheda Rownak Khan, associate professor from the Anthropology Department of Dhaka University, Md Nasim Parvez, director general of BTRC, and Nazmul Karim Bhyuian, the president of ISPAB.