T.N. police take down fake cybercrime reporting portal 

Investigators warn of a trending parcel delivery scam in the name of ‘India Post’ 

Published – October 16, 2024 10:10 pm IST – CHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu police unearthed and blocked a fake cybercrime reporting portal hosted from Hong Kong that was swindling money from people.

The Cyber Patrolling Team of the Cyber Crime wing came across the website hosted in the name of ‘National Cybercrime Reporting Portal’ that was registering complaints from the public. The suspects would target people responding to messages that their computer had been blocked for watching pornography. The warning message would also display a penalty of ₹30,290 that could be paid online through the website.

Any person entering the fraudulent website to make the payment would become vulnerable to online theft of cash from his/her card or bank account as the payment gateway is capable of capturing sensitive data such as card details, expiry date, CVV etc. Invoking provisions under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, investigators sent a report to the domain registrar based in Hong Kong after which the illegal website was blocked and taken down.

Cyber patrolling, the use of internet by law-enforcing agencies to detect and prevent cybercrimes, involves searching for harmful and illegal information on the internet. Cyber patrolling could help prevent cybercrimes in their early stages and ensure a safer cyberspace.

Director-General of Police Shankar Jiwal said that the cyber patrolling team was launched after a review meeting last month to monitor fraudulent activities in cyber space, including social media and messaging platforms. “Cybercrimes cannot be investigated solely relying on the traditional methods of policing. We need to be proactive by upgrading our skills and this one such initiative,” he said.

The blocking of the fake cybercrime reporting portal highlighted the importance of verifying the legitimacy of websites or payment gateways when financial transactions were involved. This type of scam exploited trust and could result in significant financial losses for the victims, the DGP said.

The Tamil Nadu police unearthed and blocked a fake cybercrime reporting portal hosted from Hong Kong that was swindling money from people.

The Cyber Patrolling Team of the Cyber Crime wing came across the website hosted in the name of ‘National Cybercrime Reporting Portal’ that was registering complaints from the public. The suspects would target people responding to messages that their computer had been blocked for watching pornography. The warning message would also display a penalty of ₹30,290 that could be paid online through the website.

Any person entering the fraudulent website to make the payment would become vulnerable to online theft of cash from his/her card or bank account as the payment gateway is capable of capturing sensitive data such as card details, expiry date, CVV etc. Invoking provisions under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, investigators sent a report to the domain registrar based in Hong Kong after which the illegal website was blocked and taken down.

Cyber patrolling, the use of internet by law-enforcing agencies to detect and prevent cybercrimes, involves searching for harmful and illegal information on the internet. Cyber patrolling could help prevent cybercrimes in their early stages and ensure a safer cyberspace.

Director-General of Police Shankar Jiwal said that the cyber patrolling team was launched after a review meeting last month to monitor fraudulent activities in cyber space, including social media and messaging platforms. “Cybercrimes cannot be investigated solely relying on the traditional methods of policing. We need to be proactive by upgrading our skills and this one such initiative,” he said.

The blocking of the fake cybercrime reporting portal highlighted the importance of verifying the legitimacy of websites or payment gateways when financial transactions were involved. This type of scam exploited trust and could result in significant financial losses for the victims, the DGP said.

The State police in a statement informed people that scammers often created spoofed websites that looked almost identical to legitimate ones with minor differences. Advertisements displayed on websites could be from illegitimate sources.

Trending scam

Another scam that was trending misusing the name of ‘India Post’ was operated through SMS. A message would be sent to mobile phone users claiming that a parcel booked to their address could not be delivered and ₹25 had to be paid online for making a re-attempt. Making the payment would enable the suspects to capture login and other account credentials to swindle money.

Additional Director-General of Police, Cyber Crime Wing, Sandeep Mittal said the incidence of scamming messages claimed in the name of ‘India Post’ was rampant in the last 10-15 days and there were several complaints from the public about the menace. By saying that a parcel could not be delivered the suspects were trying to exploit the emotions and psychology of people since many would be expecting surprise gifts from their loved ones on special occasions. The detection of a fake Cybercrime Reporting Portal was the first big catch after the Cyber Patrolling Team was introduced, he said.

The State police urged victims of scams or fraudulent activities to lodge complaints by dialing 1930 or registering the same in the portal http://www.cybercrime.gov.in as early as possible as it was crucial to take immediate action.

Published – October 16, 2024 10:10 pm IST

Source: The Hindu, Chennai