What is cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a criminal activity that either targets or uses a computer, a computer network, or a networked device.

Most, but not all, cybercrime is committed by cybercriminals or hackers who want to make money. Cybercrime is carried out by individuals or organizations.

Some cybercriminals are organized, use advanced techniques, and are highly technically skilled. Others are novice hackers.

Rarely, cybercrime aims to damage computers for reasons other than profit. These could be political or personal.

How to File a Cyber Crime Complaint in India

The increase in internet usage over the last decade has resulted in increasing cyber crimes and cases of online cheating. It can be quite confusing for a cybercrime victim to understand the steps to register a cybercrime FIR. in the face of adversity, it is essential to know how to file cybercrime complaints in India? And this blog shall serve this purpose.

Do not wait for a Cyber Crime to strike you to know what to do in case you are the victim of one!

Did you know that at least one cybercrime is reported every 10 minutes in India? In 2017, 4035 cybercrime cases were registered under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Steps to File a Cyber Crime Complaint:

The following sections shall tell you how to file a cyber crime complaint in India in few simple steps.

• 1. The very step to filing a cybercrime complaint is to register a written complaint with the cybercrime cell of the city are currently in.
  
• 2. When filing the cybercrime complaint, you need to provide your name, contact details, and address for mailing. You need to address the written complaint to the Head of the cybercrime cell of the city where you are filing the cybercrime complaint.
  
• 3. In case you are a victim of online harassment, legal counsel can be approached to assist you with reporting it to the police station. Additionally, you may be asked to provide certain documents with the complaint. This would, however, depend on the nature of the crime.
  
• 4. Register a cybercrime FIR: If you do not have access to any of the cyber cells in India, you can file an FIR at the local police station. In case your complaint is not accepted there, you can approach the commissioner or the city’s
  
• 5. Certain cybercrime offenses come under the Indian Penal code. You can register a cybercrime FIR at the nearest local police station to report them.
  
• 6. Most of the cyber crimes that are covered under the Indian penal code are classified as Cognizable offenses. A cognizable offense is the one in which a warrant is not required for an arrest or investigation.
  
• 7. Zero FIR offers some solace to victims of cases that require immediate attention/ investigation as it avoids wasting time in enlisting the offense on police records.