The United States and India have agreed to expand their cooperation in fighting cybercrimes, telemarketing fraud, and enforcing consumer protection, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Arun G. Rao of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, together with colleagues from the Consumer Protection Branch and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), met this week with Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials in New Delhi to further strengthen law enforcement cooperation.

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During the meeting, they discussed means for combating emerging crime trends, including fighting rising telemarketing fraud.

“In their meetings, the parties affirmed their shared commitment to strengthen cooperation in combating crime, specifically with respect to efforts to investigate and prosecute cyber-enabled financial frauds and global telemarketing frauds, including international robocalls and communications,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

They additionally discussed the need for continued cooperation in tackling emerging technology-based crimes through faster information exchange and evidence sharing, with a view to ensure security and protection of citizens of both jurisdictions, the department added.

With the increasing usage of gadgets in the Covid-19 era, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the fact that users are not too aware of how they can be duped. In fact, users freely provide secret information about their bank accounts, social media accounts and more, to total strangers even.

India and the US will thereby ensure faster information exchange and evidence sharing to tackle emerging technology-based crimes. This continued cooperation in tackling cybercrime will ensure security and protection from cybercriminals for citizens of both jurisdictions, the department added.

This step by India and the US will ensure that the cybercriminals are deterred as well as caught. To protect the common user, both India and US have come together to police the Internet and ensure innocent people are not affected by cybercrime.

(With ANI inputs)