With the development and promotion of numerous social media sites, the number of cybercrimes has been on the rise considerably worldwide. Nepal, too, is not an exception as many people living in different parts of the country are suffering from this problem. Because social media sites are turning into hotbeds for various illegal activities, the remaining ones are also at high risk. One may not know when his/her Facebook and other social media accounts are hacked. Since most social media account holders are hardly found taking precautions, it becomes easier for the offenders to get involved in cybercrimes. Such wrongdoers are often reported to be logging into other's social media accounts in order to post messages, photos and videos. There are also other tricksters who are seen involved in creating fake accounts to cheat people. It is quite worrisome that many people are falling prey to such frauds.

In addition, social media abusers are seen involving people making threats, bullying, harassing and stalking others online. These activities are prohibited by laws as they are intended to hurt others. It has also become a common practice among people to make business connections with others through the use of social media networking sites. Purchasing goods and services online has become legitimate. There are high chances for individuals to get involved in buying and selling banned drugs and other products. Likewise, with smartphones and social media technologies making advancements side by side, the lawbreakers may post videos portraying their crimes on social media. These activities are sure to have negative implications for the society as a whole. Thieves and other criminal-minded individuals seem to be using social media as a handy tool to find out when any potential victim is on a trip to somewhere. There is a general trend among those on vacation to update their trip status.

Hacking Facebook accounts to extort money is becoming a common occurrence in several parts of the country, including the Kathmandu Valley, according to a news report carried by this daily on Thursday. Cases related to the posting of nude photos of a girl and cheating others by advertising expensive cameras through using a fake Facebook account have been reported at the metropolitan Crime Division of Nepal Police. As per the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police, as many as 2,612 cybercrime related cases were reported in the first six months of the current fiscal year. The authority recorded a total of 2,301 cases related to cybercrime in the fiscal year 2076/077 B.S. The number rose to 3,900 in the fiscal year 2077/078 B.S. Most of complaints were associated with Facebook and Instagram. The remaining cases were concerned with TikTok, Twitter, Messenger, Emo, Viber and others.

Police officials involved in the investigation of cybercrimes disclosed that the number of victims has been increasing with a rise in the number of social media users. They ask people to use social media carefully so as to avoid hackers, blackmailers and other fraudsters. Social media users must stop accepting the friend requests from unknown persons. They also should not disclose secrets based on common acquaintances. Besides, they should use a strong password and stop talking to strangers unnecessarily. The Cyber Bureau should also increase its surveillance to tackle cybercrimes.