News Analysis India

Tag: cybercrime

  • Getting Fake Calls Threatening To Disconnect Your Mobile On Behalf Of DoT/TRAI? Report At THESE Numbers |

    New Delhi: Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued an advisory to citizens to not to take fake calls being received by the citizens wherein callers are threatening to disconnect their mobile numbers, or their mobile numbers are being misused in some illegal activities. DoT said that it does not make calls to citizens threatening disconnection.

    The DoT had also issued advisory about WhatsApp calls from foreign origin mobile numbers (like +92-xxxxxxxxxx) impersonating government officials and duping the people.

    Cyber criminals through such calls try to threaten or steal personal information to carry out cyber-crime/financial frauds. 

    Where To Report Fake Calls?

    The DoT/TRAI said it does not authorise anyone to make such call on its behalf and has advised people to stay vigilant and report such fraud communications at ‘Chakshu – Report Suspected Fraud Communications’ facility of Sanchar Saathi portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc). Such proactive reporting helps DoT in prevention of misuse of telecom resources for cyber-crime, financial frauds, etc.

    The DoT also advises citizens to report at cyber-crime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in in case of already a victim of cyber-crime or financial fraud.

    Various measures have been taken to combat suspected fraud communications and to curb cybercrime activities. Under CHAKSHU facility, 52 Principal Entities, involved in sending malicious and phishing SMSs to the citizens have been blacklisted. 700 SMS content templates have been deactivated. 348 mobile handsets blacklisted on pan- India basis across all telecom operators.

    10,834 suspected mobile numbers flagged for re-verification to the telecom operators out of which 8272 mobile connections disconnected failing re-verification till 30th April 2024. 1.86 lakh mobile handsets blocked on pan India basis for involvement in cybercrime/financial frauds.

    Advisories have been issued on a regular basis for the public to create awareness on fake notices impersonating DoT/TRAI, suspected fraud communications and malicious calls via press, SMS, and social media, said DoT.

     

  • NIA footprint in all states by 2024

    By Express News Service

    FARIDABAD:  In what could have far-reaching consequences, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will open branches across all states by 2024 besides getting “extra-territorial rights”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Thursday.

    Inaugurating a twoday Chintan Shivir of home ministers on internal security, Shah said his ministry was in the process of amending the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The drafts will soon be placed in Parliament.

    Although Shah did not elaborate on the extra-territorial rights to the NIA, ministry sources said it will give the agency the power to investigate all types of cases across many domain areas within India. While the NIA, which was formed in 2008, at present has four hubs in as many metropolitan cities, the move to establish branches in all states will likely be opposed by non-BJPruled state governments.

    The expansion in the NIA’s powers, Shah said, also involves granting it the authority to confiscate a terrorist’s property. The last time it was granted enhanced powers was in 2019 when the NIA Act gave it the power to investigate the schedule of fences committed outside India, though subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.

    Under the Act, the Centre could direct the organisation to investigate such cases as if the offence has been committed in India. Besides, NIA officers have “all the powers, duties, privileges and liabilities which police officers have in connection with an investigation of offences”. Shah said his ministry intends to set targets for divisions handling cybercrime, drugs, internal security and border management for 2047.

    Nixing FCRA Claiming theFCRA licence of some NGOs was nixed since they were involved in religious conversions, Shah said they were “raising funds from foreign sources with impunity”

    FARIDABAD:  In what could have far-reaching consequences, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will open branches across all states by 2024 besides getting “extra-territorial rights”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Thursday.

    Inaugurating a twoday Chintan Shivir of home ministers on internal security, Shah said his ministry was in the process of amending the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The drafts will soon be placed in Parliament.

    Although Shah did not elaborate on the extra-territorial rights to the NIA, ministry sources said it will give the agency the power to investigate all types of cases across many domain areas within India. While the NIA, which was formed in 2008, at present has four hubs in as many metropolitan cities, the move to establish branches in all states will likely be opposed by non-BJPruled state governments.

    The expansion in the NIA’s powers, Shah said, also involves granting it the authority to confiscate a terrorist’s property. The last time it was granted enhanced powers was in 2019 when the NIA Act gave it the power to investigate the schedule of fences committed outside India, though subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.

    Under the Act, the Centre could direct the organisation to investigate such cases as if the offence has been committed in India. Besides, NIA officers have “all the powers, duties, privileges and liabilities which police officers have in connection with an investigation of offences”. Shah said his ministry intends to set targets for divisions handling cybercrime, drugs, internal security and border management for 2047.

    Nixing FCRA Claiming the
    FCRA licence of some NGOs was nixed since they were involved in religious conversions, Shah said they were “raising funds from foreign sources with impunity”

  • Cybercrime: Alert Bihar chief secretary foils bid to withdraw cash from his bank account

    Express News Service

    PATNA: In a shocking incident, Bihar’s notorious cyber frauds tried to withdraw a hefty sum from a bank account of the state chief secretary Amir Subhani.

    Police said that Subhani informed the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) as soon as he got wind of cyber criminals trying to withdraw Rs 90,000 from his bank account on Sunday.

    However, the fraud failed to get done with the transaction due to the top bureaucrat’s attentiveness. Subhani managed to block the cash transaction. The cheat was nabbed within two hours. 

    An FIR has been filed in this connection.

    Cyber crimes in Bihar have posed a huge challenge before law-enforcing agencies as such incidents are taking place despite `best attempts.’

    Cyber crimes are rising across the country but Bihar is listed along with Telangana, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra reporting maximum such cases. 

    ALSO READ | Cybercrime: CBI arrests 16 in Karnataka

    According to available data, 309 cases of cyber crime were reported in 2016, 433 in 2017, 374 in 2018, 1050 in 2019 and 1512 in 2020. With more and more people starting working and studying from home, they are spending more time with digital tools, making them more vulnerable to cyber crimes. It has also been noticed that cybercriminals are targeting people living in small cities.

    To tighten the noose around cyber criminals, ADG (EOU) has also asked the India heads of Google, Facebook and Twitter to provide details of the alleged criminals indulging in threatening and blackmailing common people of the state.

    PATNA: In a shocking incident, Bihar’s notorious cyber frauds tried to withdraw a hefty sum from a bank account of the state chief secretary Amir Subhani.

    Police said that Subhani informed the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) as soon as he got wind of cyber criminals trying to withdraw Rs 90,000 from his bank account on Sunday.

    However, the fraud failed to get done with the transaction due to the top bureaucrat’s attentiveness. Subhani managed to block the cash transaction. The cheat was nabbed within two hours. 

    An FIR has been filed in this connection.

    Cyber crimes in Bihar have posed a huge challenge before law-enforcing agencies as such incidents are taking place despite `best attempts.’

    Cyber crimes are rising across the country but Bihar is listed along with Telangana, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra reporting maximum such cases. 

    ALSO READ | Cybercrime: CBI arrests 16 in Karnataka

    According to available data, 309 cases of cyber crime were reported in 2016, 433 in 2017, 374 in 2018, 1050 in 2019 and 1512 in 2020. With more and more people starting working and studying from home, they are spending more time with digital tools, making them more vulnerable to cyber crimes. It has also been noticed that cybercriminals are targeting people living in small cities.

    To tighten the noose around cyber criminals, ADG (EOU) has also asked the India heads of Google, Facebook and Twitter to provide details of the alleged criminals indulging in threatening and blackmailing common people of the state.

  • Don’t fall for it: ‘Free Omicron test’ offered online is a scam, says Centre

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: Amid a rise in Omicron cases, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory against cybercriminals targeting potential victims by offering them free tests for detecting the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

    The cyber and information security division of MHA has issued an advisory that reads: “Cybercriminals are taking advantage of lowering of cyber defences due to the shift of focus to the health crisis. Cybercriminals are always finding new ways to defraud citizens. As nowadays Omicron variant themed cybercrimes are increasing every day. Cybercriminals are employing various tactics to perpetrate cybercrimes to capitalize on the rapidly evolving situation to defraud innocent victims.”

    Further, it mentioned that fraudsters send emails regarding PCR testing for Omicron with the attached malicious links and malicious files.

    ALSO READ | No science behind night curfews in India, says WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan

    “Government and Private Health Services are being mimicked (e.g. their names are used as senders) in such attempts to scam innocent citizens. Potential victims clicking on the links are pointed towards fake websites created by fraudsters that look similar to government/private health services, where citizens can apply for a Covid-19 Omicron PCR test”.

    “The lure of a free Omicron PCR test allowing citizens to avoid Omicron related restrictions imposed by governments is presented to potential victims. Cybercriminals attain personal details and banking credentials through this method for committing further cybercrimes such as financial cyber frauds, identity theft, etc,” it says.

    The government advised people to scrutinize the domain name and URL to check the authenticity of the websites and report any such incidents on the cybercrime.gov.in portal.

    Meanwhile, India’s Omicron case tally has surpassed 1,200. 

    (With ANI inputs)

  • Cyber Crime Volunteer Programme: Citizens to ‘spy’ on each other on social media? Beware!

    Express News Service
    BENGALURU: Next time you post on Facebook or Instagram, or tweet a meme about a government policy, beware! For, even if a couple of your hundreds of contacts have signed up to be a volunteer for the Ministry for Home Affairs ‘Cyber Crime Volunteer Programme’, they can report any post that annoys or worries them.

    These ordinary citizens are being asked to judge if a post threatens — anything from sovereignty of our nation and public order, to international relations and child rights — and alert the national-level agency.

    The volunteer programme is supposed to act as a facilitative tool between ordinary citizens and the government for the prevention of cybercrime. Any citizen can register himself/herself under one of three categories: ‘Cyber Volunteer Unlawful Content Flagger’, ‘Cyber Awareness Promoter’, and ‘Cyber Expert’. Post-registration, the individual can directly report “unlawful content” being circulated over the Internet, which presumably includes social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others.

    Maitreyi Krishnan, advocate, said, “This is a violation of the fundamental right to privacy. On what basis is the government asking people to spy on each other? This will lead to all kinds of vigilantism.”Vivek Sood, senior advocate, Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, said it was a violation of the right to privacy of the citizens. 

    Withdraw cybercrime volunteer programme, experts urge govt

    “These volunteers can be said to be the informers of the Big Brothers (George Orwell’s 1984) alias the law enforcement agencies,” Vivek Sood, senior advocate, Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, said.Meanwhile, the Internet Freedom Foundation has written to the MHA, urging it to withdraw the programme immediately. The Foundation has stated that the offences included in the scope of this programme in the ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ are already cognizable and can be reported to the police by any person. Therefore, there is confusion as to the necessity of this programme, it said.

    “Under the programme, I4C (The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) and the MHA have allowed a person to register as a ‘Cyber Volunteer Unlawful Content Flagger’ without fulfilling the requirement of any prior verification (KYC). Since no verification is required and the nature of the position itself is voluntary, it absolves the I4C and the MHA of any liability or guilt in cases of misuse,” the Foundation said.

    Dr A Nagarathna, assistant professor, NLSIU, said,  “The programme has been launched without having any underlying legal framework or Standard Operating Procedure in place which would regulate the functioning of this programme and define its parameters. In the absence of such a framework, the possibility of misuse and arbitrariness increases.”

  • SC refuses to pass order on plea seeking probe into China’s alleged surveillance on President, PM, judges

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to pass any order on a plea seeking directions to the Central government to investigate China’s alleged surveillance on the President of India, Prime Minister, judges (sitting and retired) of the apex court and High Court and other influential personalities.

    A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, while disposing of the plea, asked the petitioner to file a representation before the Centre saying “these are sensitive matter, make a representation to the Home Ministry or Finance Ministry”.

    The Bench allowed the petitioner to file a representation before the government.

    Save Them India Foundation, an NGO, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking directions to register an FIR for cyber terrorism and cybercrime under several relevant sections of the Information and Technology Act 2000 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    The plea sought directions to ban Chinese-operated digital money lending apps in India and to take actions against the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) and digital money lending apps acting contrary to the fair practice code.

    It further sought that there should be a direction to the Union of India to enact the Draft Bill “The Protection of Personal Data, 2019”.

    The plea said that China not only through one mode but by the other modes like money lending apps extracted data of Indian citizens and storing there in its country. This could have a disastrous effect in the future and is a threat and danger to our national security and integrity, it added.

    It alleged that the privacy of citizens, the secrecy of judges, the President of India, the Prime Minister and other thousands of authorities has become a play for China.

    “China’s espionage system and spying upon India has developed a new threat and fear of losing our secret valuable information, public policies, defence policies, data hijacking and theft,” the plea said. (ANI)

  • 93,000 cybercrimes related to sexual exploitation, hate in three years: MHA

    Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the enhanced use of the internet, the number of cybercrimes was also increasing.

  • Jharkhand: In viral video, BJP MLA backs cybercriminals of Jamtara, his constituency

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: BJP MLA and former minister Randheer Singh said in a public meeting that he will be compelled to ‘gherao’ police stations if people of his constituency are disturbed by police without any valid reasons.

    Jamtara, considered to be an epicenter of cybercrimes in India, has been a hunting ground for cyber police from all over India. Many cases of digital fraud are traced out to this backward district of Jharkhand. Phishing callers in Jamtara are extraordinarily trained who generally use basic techniques to obtain bank account details from their targets after preying skillfully on their fears.

    In a video, which has been made viral on social media, the BJP MLA could be heard saying that people of his constituency are unnecessarily being disturbed by the police without any reason.

    “If our men are clever and able to cheat people in other states, why they are being disturbed by the police. Don’t you dare disturb poor people of my constituency? If I get mad, I will ‘gherao’ the police station,” said Singh. “Why do you get into the trap made by the people of my constituency?”, he asked.

    Singh, however, appealed to the cybercriminals not to get indulged in big frauds. 

    “Your MLA gets disturbed as people are being arrested by the police every day and I have to make recommendations to release them,” admitted the MLA. He said that he is speaking the truth as nobody has ever succeeded in duping the people of his constituency in ATM fraud, he added.

    “If money from other states is coming to our state, what could be better than this,” said the former minister.