THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid a surge in online financial fraud, the state police are set to introduce an AI-based tool to help the public verify the authenticity of apps, web links, social media profiles, and phone numbers soliciting investments.
Last year, victims in the state lost around Rs 200 crore to online scams, prompting the police to take action. The cyber investigation wing is overseeing the development of this innovative tool by a yet-to-be-identified startup.
Sources reveal that this AI tool will be integrated with the official police app, Pol-App, which provides users with digital access to all departmental services. Users will be able to input suspicious URLs, web links, social media accounts, and phone numbers into the tool, which will then cross-check these details against data from state and central law enforcement agencies.
“The tool will use a traffic light system to indicate the safety of the provided links and numbers. Green will mean the data is safe, red will flag it as dangerous, and orange will indicate uncertainty, prompting users to contact the national cyber crime helpline 1930 for further clarification,” explained a senior official.
The proposal has been forwarded to the State IT Mission and Startup Mission officials. Six startups have been invited to present their prototypes, with a technical evaluation to follow. The selected firms will then bid for the project, aiming for completion within six months.
If startups fail to deliver, the police plan to bring in reputed tech firms. “We prioritize our startups, but if necessary, we will engage larger international firms,” sources added.
Once developed, the police plan to sign memorandums of understanding with various social media platforms to integrate the tool, further enhancing the ability to identify malicious links.
