cyber crime news Archives - Page 4 of 12

Held Hostage on WhatsApp: Cybercriminals Extort ₹56 Lakh from Retired Teacher

A retired teacher in Ghaziabad was digitally held hostage via WhatsApp for 28 days and extorted of ₹56 lakh by scammers posing as TRAI officials. Police have filed a case under cybercrime laws and frozen the linked bank accounts. Ghaziabad: Archana Khare, a former Vaishali teacher, endured a startling adventure when she was imprisoned online by cybercriminals for 28 days, from April 1 to April 28. Police said that the scammers pretended to be representatives of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), accusing her of misusing her mobile number and threatening to disconnect her. Victim Forced to Transfer ₹56 Lakh in Fear Khare was forced to remain under constant surveillance using WhatsApp video chats every day from 9:30 AM to 5:30 or 6 PM while an inquiry was underway. This was especially true while her husband was gone at work. To clear her name, the thieves allegedly instructed her to go to KG Marg in Delhi and transfer funds from her savings, citing legal procedures. Over the 28 days, she was compelled to move ₹56 lakh to five separate domestic bank accounts. Now that these accounts have been located, the Ghaziabad police have taken steps to freeze them. Police Action under New Criminal Laws Following pertinent provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a formal complaint was filed on May 1 at the Ghaziabad cybercrime police station. These consist of: Section 318: Infidelity Section 340(2): Electronic document forgery Section 204: Posing as a public official Extortion under Section 308(2) Crime-related intimidation, Section 351(4) Section 3(5): Shared purpose IT Act provisions for cyber fraud Ambuj Singh Yadav, ACP (Crime), emphasised the significance of public awareness while confirming that the inquiry is still underway.”A new kind of psychological coercion is digital arrest. “Timely reporting saved extra harm to the victim,” he stated. The Ghaziabad case serves as a terrifying reminder of how hackers are now using surveillance, impersonation, and fear as weapons to take advantage of victims. Verifying official communications and reporting suspicious calls to authorities right away are recommendations for citizens.

Tripura police freeze over 16,000 bank accounts linked to online fraud

Tripura Police have frozen over 16,000 bank accounts linked to online fraud, uncovering scams involving more than ₹26 crore. Plans are in place to establish a cybercrime police station in Agartala to strengthen future investigations. On May 02, 2025, officials declared that the Tripura Police’s cyber squad had blocked more than 16,000 bank accounts connected to online scams in a significant crackdown on cybercrime. It is suspected that over Rs 26 crore has been stolen in total through these cybercrimes. Via social media and messaging applications, criminals have been luring victims with lottery scams, phoney loan offers, and fictitious employment offers. Scammers frequently pretended to be bank employees to trick senior citizens. Blackmailing online has also increased. According to a police source, criminals frequently use video chats and altered recordings to extort money from lonely people. Between April 2024 and April 2025, 4,283 complaints were submitted through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal. Police seized accounts worth Rs 3.38 crore and recovered Rs 25.77 lakh. Plans are underway to construct a dedicated cybercrime police station in Agartala, complete with skilled officers and cutting-edge equipment to better handle these types of crimes.

Pinterest is at last taking something to combat its AI infestation

Pinterest has introduced new tools to label and filter AI-generated images, helping users distinguish synthetic content and reduce its visibility. The platform will use metadata and AI classifiers to detect altered images, with features like “AI modified” tags and user controls to limit such content. On its site, Pinterest is helping users recognize and steer clear of AI-generated slop. To help customers avoid seeing too many images while searching for related topics, the business is introducing new capabilities that will automatically classify images that are identified as being created or altered using generative AI. “As our users encounter AI-generated content on Pinterest, we are helping them make better choices about what they see,” said Chief Technology Officer Matt Madrigal. “We are consciously tackling this new terrain in a way that is advantageous to all users on Pinterest, and Gen AI content on Pinterest ought to improve users’ capacity to find and act on their inspiration.” Global rollout of Pinterest new Gen AI labelling feature should help shield users from fraud. When a pin is clicked on in close-up, the labels will show up as a “AI modified” stamp in the lower left-hand corner. Pinterest uses metadata analysis, most likely for invisible marks like Adobe’s Content Credentials or Google’s Synthid, to determine whether an image was created or altered using artificial intelligence. Additionally, Pinterest claims to have created “classifiers that automatically detect gen AI content,” even in cases where an image lacks metadata markers. Although detection-based AI flaggers are not always accurate, Pinterest is now enabling users to file an appeal if they think their pins have been incorrectly labelled. It would be an understatement to say I’m overjoyed. The dominance of AI photos on Pinterest has drawn a lot of criticism from users, who find it hard to use the mood board builder for anything useful other than putting together pictures for aesthetic reasons. For instance, it might be difficult for artists to locate reliable real-world reference materials, and, likely, the apparel, accessories, or furnishings items seen in pins aren’t available for purchase because they don’t exist. Even as a source of “inspiration,” that can be problematic because artificial intelligence (AI) can produce incredibly realistic-looking hairstyles and interior design concepts that may be impossible to accomplish in real life. Additionally, an experimental tool will be released “soon” that will let users filter out specific AI photos for categories like beauty and art that are “prone to AI modification or generation,” according to Pinterest. The three-dot menu located at the bottom right of a pin will have the option to “see fewer.” Although it’s unknown how much AI the feature will filter out, Pinterest claims that this will alert its systems to promote less of such content and will eventually spread to more pin categories. I can only hope that an “all of it” option will be added later.

Fake Emails IDs Defaming CSD and Armed Forces Trigger Cyber Probe in Mumbai

Mumbai Cyber Police have launched a probe after fake email IDS were used to defame CSD officials and the Indian Armed Forces with false corruption claims. A case has been registered under the IT Act and BNS following a complaint from a senior CSD official. Mumbai: A senior official from the Ministry of Defence’s Canteen Stores Department (CSD) has reported an anonymous person to the police for allegedly sending derogatory texts and creating fictitious email IDS against government officials and the Indian Armed Forces. The accused sent many emails under the alias of Sukesh Kumar Hegde between April 8, 2024, and April 16, 2025, according to a complaint submitted by Rahul Janeshwar Bhosale (39), Assistant General Manager (Legal & Vigilance) at CSD, Church Gate. These emails, which were sent from fictitious addresses and included unfounded accusations of Corrupt practice against senior CSD (Canteen Stores Department) personnel, included: corruption_whitepaper2025@pm.mecorruption_whitepaper2024@proton.meexpose_corruption2024@protonmail.comtarget_corruption2024@proton.me The slanderous emails were sent to official CSD accounts such as gm@csdindia.gov.in, jgm1@csdindia.gov.in, jgm2@csdindia.gov.in, and others. The emails reportedly contained confidential departmental information. Additionally, the sender made up an address at Sport View, Palam, New Delhi’s Ulan Batar Rao Tula Ram Marg, which is part of the Ministry of Defence complex. After confirmation, it was discovered that Sukesh Kumar Hegde was not working at the address. Bhosale claimed that by fabricating an identity and presenting false internal data and charges, these emails not only sought to deceive but also to damage the organization. The emails’ header information has been sent over to the cyber police for review. According to Section 66(C) of the IT Act and Section 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the South Region Cyber Police Station has responded to the complaint by bringing a case against an anonymous individual for impersonation, defamation, and disseminating false information via a phony email address. The person responsible for the phoney accounts is being tracked down through additional inquiry.

Hyderabad Cybercrime Police File Case Against X User for Offensive Post on CM Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad cybercrime police filed a case against X user “DigtvTelugu” for posting a morphed, offensive image targeting Telangana CM Revanth Reddy. The complaint alleges the post aimed to defame and provoke public hatred. Hyderabad: A social media user has been charged with a crime by the Hyderabad cybercrime police for allegedly posting derogatory and altered content directed against Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The problem arose after Kailash Sajjan, state secretary of the social media division of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), formally complained on April 29, 2025. The lawsuit alleges that an account on X (previously Twitter) with the handle “DigtvTelugu” shared an altered photo of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in a way that was deemed “objectionable.” Other Congress leaders, like Telangana Food and Supplies Corporation chairman Fahim Qureshi, were also featured in the tweet, which had captions making fun of the politicians. Sajjan claimed that the information was circulated with “malicious intent to defame the CM and the Congress party” and called it “fake, morphed, vulgar, abusive, and derogatory.” Additionally, he asserted that the account holder is a “habitual troublemaker” who seeks to foment anti-government sentiment. The cybercrime police filed a case based on the complaint under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 353(2) (statements conducive to public mischief), 336(4) (forgery to hurt reputation), and 352 deliberate insult intended to cause a disturbance of the peace. Police said they would write to X to get information on the person who posted the material.

Pakistani groups’ cyberattacks on four defence facilities were stopped

Cyberattacks by the Pakistan group “Internet of Khilafah” targeted four Indian defence-related websites but were swiftly thwarted without compromising sensitive networks. The attacks aimed to disrupt services and steal data amid rising tensions post the Pahalgam terror attack. There have been reports of cyberattacks on the websites of four armed forces-related organisations amid the heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. According to government authorities, Pakistan was the source of the cyberattacks. Four related incidents, including cyberattacks on the websites of the Army Public School in Srinagar and Ranikhet that targeted both sites with inflammatory propaganda and a distributed denial of service attack against the Srinagar school, were confirmed by intelligence assessments, according to Army sources. They might create distributed denial of service and vandalize the homepage. However, the web management promptly fixed it, according to a source. According to the source, there was also an attempt to penetrate the Indian Air Force Placement Organisation webpage and a breach of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation database. “No operational or secret networks were impacted at any point; all four locations were quickly isolated, and restorative action was performed. The source claims that efforts by cyber actors with their headquarters located in Pakistan to violate Indian cyber sovereignty have once again failed. The source noted that after mission-critical national networks were determined to be impregnable, these attacks on publicly accessible welfare and educational websites seemed to have been executed. According to intelligence assessments, the attacks were carried out by a group known as the “Internet of Khilafah” or “IOK Hacker,” and its goals were to capture personal information, disrupt online services, and deface websites. The source claimed that these attempts demonstrated the adversary’s capabilities as well as its intent, noting that “India’s layered cyber-security architecture detected the intrusions in real time and quickly traced their origin to Pakistan.” Even as Pakistan continues to redeploy troops and heavy military equipment along the border, firing by small arms along the Line of Control (Loc) has been reported over the past five days, adding to the tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025. Furthermore, social media has also seen a surge in tensions and propaganda.

Tackling cyber frauds: Finance Ministry includes I4C under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for information sharing

The Finance Ministry has empowered I4C to share information under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), enhancing coordination with the Enforcement Directorate to combat cyber fraud. This move aims to trace money trails and crack down on rising transnational cyber scams targeting citizens. According to the anti-money laundering law, the government has given the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) permission to communicate with the Enforcement Directorate and receive information to identify money trails and stop cyber scams. The Home Ministry created I4C to serve as the primary hub for reducing cybercrime in the nation. I4C seeks to strengthen collaboration between various law enforcement agencies and stakeholders to increase India’s overall ability to tackle cybercrime. In compliance with Section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Finance Ministry’s Revenue Department added I4C in a notification dated April 25. As a result, I4C was able to communicate with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other law enforcement organisations more easily. This information sharing would help identify the masterminds behind the international cyber frauds that target the general public and are becoming more and more common. Phishing websites, false social media identities, and sponsored search engine advertisements are all being used in these types of online scams. These con artists also send an OTP or a webpage link to a victim’s email or phone. The victim’s phone or computer is compromised when they share the OTP or click on the link. The government has requested that individuals use the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in the event of fraud to report such websites.

Google Notebook LM AI podcast expands to more languages, including Hindi

Google has expanded its Notebook LM AI podcast feature, Audio Overviews, to support over 50 languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Maithili, and Konkani. The tool uses Gemini’s multimodal AI to convert complex texts into podcast-style conversations, making learning more accessible. More languages are now supported by Google’s Audio Overviews function in Notebook LM, the AI-powered note-taking and research tool. More than 50 other languages are currently supported by the feature, including major Indian languages like Hindi, Maithili, Konkani, Urdu, and Marathi. According to the business, this multilingual capability is made possible by multimodal Gemini’s inbuilt audio support. The change was revealed in a blog post by the US-based software corporation. The whole public can now use the functionality. Overviews of Google Notebook LM Audio: How it Operates Imagine a scenario in which a user comes across a complicated paper or article and finds it challenging to understand. In this scenario, the user can utilise the Audio Overviews capability and submit the content to Google Notebook LM. The uploaded content will be converted by the AI into a dialogue between two AI-generated hosts, like a podcast. Rather than reading the material out loud, the hosts engage the audience in conversation while breaking down complex ideas as needed. This method makes learning more approachable and helps to simplify complex information. The resulting audio transformed a four-minute read into a nine-minute podcast when Business Standard tested the function with one of its articles on direct-to-mobile (D2M) phones. The audio sounded human because the two AI hosts spoke naturally, pausing and stuttering realistically. In order to customise the podcast to their requirements, customers could also designate the topic of the discussion. Audio Overviews are now accessible in over 50 languages thanks to this upgrade. Google first expanded Notebook LM to more than 200 countries last year. Overviews of Google Notebook LM Audio: How to Use Go to the Google Notebook LM official website. Select “Create New.” You can use Google Drive to upload your work by copying and pasting text or by pasting a link. Select “Generate” from the “Audio Overview” menu. Listen to the podcast that the AI created using your content.

Rajasthan Education Department Website Hacked by Alleged ‘Pakistan Cyber Force

The Rajasthan Education Department’s website was hacked on April 29, 2025, displaying provocative messages allegedly from the “Pakistan Cyber Force.” Authorities have launched an investigation, while experts call for urgent cybersecurity reforms amid rising attacks on government digital assets. JAIPUR: On 29 April 2025, a cyberattack targeting the Rajasthan Education Department’s official webpage changed the homepage to show some divisive messages posing as the “Pakistan Cyber Force.” In one of the letters, the Pahalgam terror attack was described as an “inside job,” meaning it was orchestrated from within. Another person called the incident a “false flag by the Indian government, designed to incite conflict and religious division.” Additionally, the hackers made derogatory remarks on Himanshi Narwal, the late Lieutenant Vinay Narwal’s widow, whose picture sitting next to her husband’s body was recently widely shared on social media. Shortly after the breach was discovered, the department’s website was removed. In reaction to the cyberattack, Education Minister Madan Dilawar declared, “The Education Department’s IT wing has been activated.” The website has been taken down for the time being, and recovery work is moving quickly. We have also reported the incident to cybersecurity agencies. To determine the group behind the cyber attack and the degree of the damage, an enquiry has been started. “At this time, there is no proof that any private information has been disclosed. To guarantee the security and integrity of our data, a thorough audit of every system is being carried out,” he continued. Experts Demand Immediate Reforms in Cybersecurity The persistent exploitation of government digital assets has sparked concerns from cyber specialists. They estimate that fraudsters have taken over more than 20 lakh pages connected to state departments nationwide. It is estimated that more than 8 lakh of these pages—including some from the Home Department and district-level police units—have been hacked in Rajasthan alone. Experts emphasise the urgent need for strong digital security frameworks and improved monitoring to safeguard government web infrastructure in light of the growing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks.

Kashmiri Engineering Student in Mumbai Duped of Rs 4.30 Lakh in Online Task Fraud

A 20-year-old Kashmiri engineering student in Mumbai was duped of Rs 4.30 lakh by cybercriminals through a “task fraud” scheme. The student filed a complaint with Matunga Police after being repeatedly asked for money under the guise of security deposits. April 23, Mumbai (PTI) According to city police on Wednesday, a 20-year-old engineering student from Jammu and Kashmir was defrauded of Rs 4.30 lakh by cybercriminals in a “task fraud.” According to an official, the student, who resides in the college dorm in Matunga, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number introducing herself as “Pallavi Jha.” She gave the victim a “task,” informing him that he could submit online evaluations and make between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000 a day. According to the official, he was first paid for finishing the work after accepting the proposal and being connected to a Telegram channel. Later on, however, he was given more responsibility and requested to provide security, so he periodically deposited a total of Rs 4.30 lakhs.

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