Shillong, April 15: In what comes as a shocking news and reflects the burgeoning problem of cyber-crime and that nobody is truly safe, scamsters have created fake social media handles under the name of Meghalaya’s PHE Minister Marcuise N. Marak, and are using these accounts to demand money and personal information from his friends and followers.
This came to light after the minister himself posted a message on his official Facebook page about the matter on Saturday afternoon, and urged people not to send money or share their personal information being sought by the imposters in his name.
“I recently discovered that someone has created fake Instagram and Facebook accounts using my name. The impostor has been pretending to be me, asking people for personal information and even money. Please note that any account other than my official Instagram and Facebook accounts is fake,” he said on his Facebook page.
He further urged everyone not to engage with the fake accounts created using his name, and to report any suspicious activity or messages to him or the authorities. “Please be aware that I am taking this matter very seriously, and I have already instructed my team to file a police report against the impostor,” he informed.
Marak’s son, Tengrik M Sangma, has also lodged a formal complaint with the Sadar Police Station at Police Bazar in Shillong regarding the matter and sought urgent action.
In the complaint, Tengrik wrote: “I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the creation of two fake social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, in the name of my father, Shri Marcuise N. Marak. The impostor(s) behind this have been using his identity to demand money and personal information from various people, which is not only illegal but also malicious and defamatory.”
“As a State Minister, my father’s reputation and image are of utmost importance, and such fraudulent activities cannot be tolerated. I urge you to take immediate action and initiate an investigation into this matter. Please take appropriate measures to remove the fake accounts from social media platforms and take necessary legal action against the impostor(s) responsible for this heinous act,” he further said.
