As Ram Mandir preparations are in full swing, cybercriminals have launched a new campaign to exploit people through WhatsApp messages, offering free VIP entry to the Ayodhya temple on January 22. The first messages that people received contain an APK (Android Application Package) file labeled as Ram Janmabhoomi Grihsampark Abhiyan.APK. Later, another on-screen message encourages users to “Install Ram Janmabhoomi Grihsampark Abhiyan to get VIP access and share Hindu… Jay Shree Ram…” What is this invitation? Needless to say, neither the state nor the central government, the event organizers nor…

What if you get a call from your local bank branch to confirm your KYC (Know your customer) information but after a while you lose all your savings in your bank? Yes, this is exactly what happened to an 83-year-old retired government employee from Kolkata, West Bengal. This is of course a popular hoax and the said person S.P. Sinha lost Rs 2.5 lakh in savings to fraudsters posing as bank employees. As reported by Metro, the man used to visit his bank branch for all his business needs but…

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is a major concern. Leading tech companies invest heavily in developing cybersecurity solutions to protect users from online scams and fraud. Malicious individuals use various tactics to steal personal information, which can have devastating financial consequences for the victim. The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have also contributed to this issue. While AI has the potential to streamline tasks through automation, it has also been utilized to create deepfakes that pose a threat to one’s online presence. For instance, a man from Kerala was…

It’s no secret that online scams have started affecting many Indians today as the frequency and sophistication of scams increase. Scammers are constantly trying to find new ways to trick unsuspecting victims into traps that allow them to siphon off their hard-earned money and in some cases even steal users’ identities. This growing threat is starting to affect most users – across multiple platforms – whether it’s a job scam common on WhatsApp and Telegram or a fake army officer scam circulating on second-hand marketplaces and real estate sites. Today,…

Can you imagine a greengrocer swindling people out of their hard earned money using elaborate online schemes? Well, that’s exactly what happened when a former vegetable vendor turned nasty – claiming nearly Rs 21 crore by duping people on the pretext of offering domestic jobs. According to The Times of India, Rishab, a 27-year-old resident of Gurugram’s Sector 9, was actively involved in more than 37 cases across 10 Indian states and was involved in 855 scams. He was arrested last week based on intelligence gathered from a bank account…

With the rise in online scams, an increasing number of individuals are falling victim to financial losses. Perpetrators, concealing their true identities through fake online personas, manage to evade punishment for their fraudulent activities. These scams encompass a wide range, from job scams on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram to the well-known fake army officer scam that made headlines recently. Unfortunately, the majority of scam victims choose not to report the incidents to law enforcement, enabling scammers to grow bolder and persist in their deceitful practices. Fortunately, citizens in India…

The prevalence of online scams in India is increasing, resulting in the unfortunate financial loss for numerous individuals. A recent case involved a jewellery store owner who fell victim to a scammer’s deceitful act, as the fraudster provided a counterfeit payment screenshot to acquire gold coins. According to a PTI report, a jewelery shop in Gurugram was robbed of Rs 2 lakh after an unidentified person cheated the owner. The fraudster visited the store and pretended to be interested in buying gold coins worth that amount. The owner of the…

Online fraud cases in India are increasing due to extensive digitization. Scammers are now using new tactics to deceive victims, not just through calls but also through messaging services like WhatsApp, to achieve their criminal objectives. Officials of the Department of Telecommunications said phone and online scams have increased in the country since the peak days of the Covid-19 pandemic. But scammers are also constantly adopting innovative ways to steal money from victims. For example, AI voice cloning scams have created a stir in recent days. As a significant number…