Cyber News Update Archives - Page 3 of 3

Goa Police Bust Cybercrime Recruitment Ring, Arrest Three for Exploiting Victims

Goa Police arrested three individuals for defrauding people into working for cybercrime centres in Thailand and planning to expand operations internationally. PANAJI: According to the Goa Police , three persons, including a Kazakh national of Chinese descent, have been taken into custody for allegedly defrauding people into working for cybercrime centres in Thailand. On March 26, the accused, named as 22-year-old Talaniti Nulaxi, was taken into custody at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. On that same day, authorities issued a lookout notice for him when he tried to leave the country, according to the police. Following the arrest of Adithya Ravichandran, 22, of Bengaluru, and his supervisor, Rupnarayan Gupta, 36, of Mumbai, who claimed to be operating an organization that assisted individuals in finding employment overseas, Goa Police located Nulaxi. Additionally, the gang hired victims to perpetrate forced financial fraud through WeChat, Zoom, Telegram, WhatsApp, and other social media sites. Rahul Gupta, the superintendent of Goa Police , stated that the gang held Zoom interviews and meetings to talk about how they operate. Adithya was employed by the second defendant, Rupnarayan Gupta, who owns and operates Ivanka, a Mumbai-based employment agency in Mulund West. The Ministry of External Affairs has not registered the agency to transport Indians overseas. According to Gupta, Rupnarayan forwards candidate data to recruiters overseas for interviews after receiving it from his national agents. During her five days in Bengaluru, Talaniti Nulaxi assisted with setting up a call centre. Chinese people are living in Thailand, Cambodia, and other places. They have a hierarchical, well-organized apparatus. He is a member of this wider network. Gupta added, “This is a component of the broader investigation that will continue over the next few days.” The inquiry also showed that the group was recruiting young women under the guise of “work from home,” who were subsequently used for extortion and honey traps, according to Goa’s Director General of Goa Police Alok Kumar. We are also looking into some information that has surfaced so far that suggests this group was considering opening contact centres in India, Nepal, and a few other nations they had identified that were comparable to those in Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Additionally, he was in negotiations to rent space in multi-story buildings for the same purpose, according to Alok Kumar.

Government Implements Stricter Rules to Curb Child Sexual Abuse and Cybercrime Online

The Indian government is enhancing regulations to curb online child sexual abuse and cybercrime, with stricter rules for digital platforms. Measures include content removal, grievance redressal, and international collaboration. The Indian government is working harder to control internet content and stop the spreading of sexually graphic materials, especially when it comes to child sex abuse. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Railways, Information & telecast, and Electronics & IT, told the Lok Sabha that some steps are being taken to guarantee a secure online environment under the Information Technology Act of 2000 and the IT Rules of 2021. The publication or transmission of pornographic material is already illegal under the Information Technology Act of 2000, with more severe penalties for content involving minors. Digital platforms, including social media intermediaries, must adhere to due diligence under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. They are no longer legally shielded from accountability for content hosted by third parties on their platforms if they don’t comply. Notably, major social media platforms that offer messaging services are now required to make it possible to identify the original creator of communications about offences like child sexual abuse , rape, or sexually explicit content. Intermediaries are also required to take down any content that shows someone having sex, exposing their private parts, or depicting nudity within 24 hours. The government has also established Grievance Appellate Committees to improve user grievance redressal, enabling users to challenge decisions made by social media companies on the removal the content of child sexual abuse. Controlling pornographic material on OTT platforms and in movies The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) still oversees public film screenings in the entertainment industry, making sure that adult material is categorized correctly following the Cinematograph Act of 1952 and its certification guidelines. The IT Rules, 2021, require OTT platforms to follow a code of ethics that includes limiting access to youngsters, classifying content according to age appropriateness, and implementing age verification for adult-rated content. The government’s multifaceted strategy to combat cybercrime The Indian government has taken several steps to fight cybercrime in addition to regulating content of child sexual abuse. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: The Ministry of Home Affairs has a website called www.cybercrime.gov.in where anyone can report any kind of cybercrime, with a concentration on crimes against minors. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): a specialized organization that plans actions to combat online crimes, such as child exploitation of child sexual abuse. Financial aid for cybercrime prevention: Under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) program, the government has provided funding to states and Union Territories so they can set up cyber forensic labs and provide law enforcement training. Blocking CSAM websites: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Interpol provide information that is used to periodically block websites that include child sexual abuse material (CSAM). ISPs are also required to dynamically block certain websites using lists provided by Project Arachnid (Canada) and the Internet Watch Foundation (UK). Parental control and awareness initiatives: Internet service providers have been asked to advertise parental control filters, and the government is running awareness campaigns on cybercrime through educational handbooks, radio broadcasts, and the @CyberDost Twitter handle. International collaboration: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), USA, has teamed with India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to gather information on online child exploitation. These reports are subsequently forwarded to states and Union Territories for additional action.

Has the open-source AI from DeepSeek turned into a tool for online fraudsters?

Researchers found that DeepSeek’s open-source AI model can be exploited to create malware with minimal tweaks. Experts warn of potential misuse despite basic safeguards. According to a recent study, malicious actors may utilize DeepSeek’s open-source, free AI models to create harmful malware while displaying shoddy security measures. Since the public was made aware of the current scope of generative AI, governments and regulators have been alerting people to the potential for LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini to be used to write harmful code. A few LLMs have already been created expressly for illegal purposes, but although these models usually demand money to access and the major LLM providers have safeguards in place, scammers have an advantage with DeepSeek’s open-source, publicly available architecture. Research by Nick Miles of Tenable Research revealed that the DeepSeek R1 model, a reasoning large language model (LLM) created by the Chinese company, could produce the “basic structure for malware,” providing barriers that are “easy to work around” and “vulnerable to a variety of jailbreaking techniques.” Miles tried to use DeepSeek to develop a key logger for the test that could secretly record keystrokes from users of a device while evading the operating system’s defences. Telling the LLM that the exercise was for “educational purposes only” was enough to persuade it to continue after its initial refusal. After following DeepSeek’s directions, a functional key logger was eventually produced, even though the model’s code needed to be manually rewritten in a few places. Miles also tried to create a sample of simple ransomware, which is a kind of software that prevents users from accessing their files that are susceptible to ransomware. Miles was able to create a few functional ransomware samples after some back and forth, but they also needed human editing to work. Once more, the system’s restrictions cautioned against the practice. The researcher concluded that malicious actors may get over DeepSeek’s safeguards against malware production with a little tweaking. The results do not portend a total catastrophe because the model’s outputs depend on a significant amount of prior coding information. “However, DeepSeek offers a helpful collection of methods and search terms that can enable someone who has never written malicious code before to become quickly acquainted with the pertinent ideas,” Miles said. According to my investigation, I think DeepSeek will soon encourage thieves to create more dangerous AI-generated programs.

Organ Trafficking Scam: Pune Doctor Falls Victim to Rs 70 Lakh Cyber Scam

Pune Doctor Loses Rs 70 Lakh in Organ Trafficking Scam by Cybercriminals Impersonating Law Enforcement A doctor from Pune fell victim to a cybercrime involving an organ trafficking scam, losing Rs 70 lakh to fraudsters who posed as law enforcement officers. The cybercriminals accused her of participating in an international organ trafficking scam, using fake video calls and threats of arrest to manipulate her into transferring her savings. The anesthesiologist, currently employed at a city hospital and in her late fifties, filed a formal complaint (FIR) at a cybercrime police station after realizing she had been duped. The scam began in the final week of February, when she received a call from a man claiming to be a bank official. He told her a card registered in her name had been misused and advised her to contact the “Delhi CID” to address potential illegal activity. On a video call, a scammer dressed as a police officer, in a setup resembling a police station, claimed she was under investigation for her involvement in a major organ trafficking scam linked to child trafficking. The cybercriminals alleged her bank accounts were tied to transactions worth Rs 3 crore and threatened her with arrest if she did not cooperate. She was coerced into disclosing details of her assets, including investments and savings, under the pretext of an official inquiry. Later, a scammer posing as a prosecutor convinced her to transfer her wealth to a so-called “official” mule account, promising she would get her money back soon. The scammers later demanded more money and even persuaded her to mortgage her house. When she contacted a family member for help, she realized she was a victim of a sophisticated organ trafficking scam and promptly filed a report with cybercrime police. Investigations have revealed that such frauds are orchestrated by multi-layered, geographically dispersed syndicates that launder money through Bitcoin, moving funds from victims to mule accounts and eventually to international cybercriminal networks. In May last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) was receiving numerous complaints of blackmail, extortion, and “digital arrests” by cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officers and agencies, including the CBI and RBI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also highlighted the dangers of such scams, including the organ trafficking scam, during his “Mann Ki Baat” address.

DoT and WhatsApp Unite to Launch ‘Scam Se Bacho’ for Digital Safety

DoT and WhatsApp have launched the “Scam Se Bacho” campaign to combat online scams and enhance digital safety. The initiative includes training and multilingual resources for citizens. On March 17, 2025, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and WhatsApp joined together to broaden Meta’s safety campaign against online spam and scams, known as “Scam Se Bacho. DoT and WhatsApp will collaborate to improve digital safety and awareness by teaching citizens how to spot and report suspected fraudulent communications. The initiative would include training workshops for field units, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), Sanchar Mitras, and DoT officials. To increase the reach of Sanchar Saathi projects, WhatsApp will also collaborate with DoT to investigate ways to develop citizen-centric services via the WhatsApp platform. Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, met with Jyotiraditya Scindia, the North East Region’s Union Minister of Communication and Development, to discuss the success of DoT and Meta’s continued partnership. WhatsApp (Scam Se Bacho) is taking preventive action against the misuse of telecom resources for financial fraud and cybercrime by collaborating with the DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit and utilizing the data from DIP. “The best way to stop people falling victim to scams and online fraud is to make sure they know what to look out for and what they can do to stay safe,” said Kaplan. He said that by collaborating with the Department of Telecommunications, we can help provide Indians with the information they need to keep safe by fusing our technology know-how with the government’s dedication to public safety. As India moves on with its digital transformation, protecting our citizens’ safety and security is still of utmost importance, according to Sc india. “This dedication to shielding our citizens from deceptive communications and online threats is strengthened by our collaboration with Meta. We are stepping up efforts to make sure that our digital ecosystem is safe and robust for everyone by utilizing WhatsApp’s extensive online presence,” the minister stated. WhatsApp and DoT will also work together to create educational resources that will teach users how to spot and report online spam and fraud (Scam Se Bacho). Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarati are among the regional languages into which all user safety materials will be translated to maximize accessibility.

Digital arrest scam, a woman from Mumbai lost Rs 20 crore to scammers

Digital arrest scam : Two men posing as police officers duped an 86-year-old Mumbai woman of Rs 20.25 crore in a money laundering scam. The accused, who is part of an international fraud network, has been arrested. The 86-year-old woman in South Mumbai was virtually accosted by two men in December 2024 who pretended to be police officers. To resolve the matter, they forced her to transfer funds to several bank accounts and threatened her, saying that her Aadhar card had been used fraudulently in a money laundering case. Between December 26, 2024, and March 3, 2025, the suspected Rs 20.25 crore scam took place, according to the police. digital arrest scam the callers said that an Indian bank had opened an account in her name using her Aadhar card and other personal data. They informed her that this account had been used in a massive money laundering scheme and that police action was on the horizon. The accused intimidated her by threatening to report her and her family, including her daughter, to the police. They tricked her into sending money to their accounts by feigning a “digital arrest scam.” Shayan Jamil Sheikh (20) and Rajik Azam Butt, who reside in Malad (West) and Mira Road (East), respectively, have been identified as the accused. Both of the accused have been arrested by the police. A larger conspiracy The report stated that Butt is suspected of being involved in a larger international scheme, citing police sources. On the Telegram messaging service, he formed a group with thirteen foreigners, according to the police. He allegedly exchanged Indian bank account details with this group to assist in committing fraud. The authorities found Butt’s affiliation with a worldwide fraud network after searching Shayan and Rajik’s cell phones after they were arrested. He set up the Telegram channel, investigators discovered, to provide scammers in other nations with information about Indian bank accounts. Both accused, according to officials for digital arrest scam , were personally involved in the planning and execution of the crime and were members of a global fraud gang. Now, they’re looking into how many more bank accounts have been provided to the foreign masterminds.

Elon Musk claims ‘massive cyber-attack’ caused X outages

Elon Musk claimed a “massive cyber-attack” caused X outages on March 10, 2025, with possible ties to Ukraine. The disruptions occurred alongside ongoing challenges facing his businesses, including Tesla protests and a SpaceX rocket failure. On the afternoon of March 10, 2025, Elon Musk asserted that X was the victim of a “massive cyber-attack” that caused sporadic service interruptions that shut down his social network all day. For many users, the platform—formerly known as Twitter—had been sluggish, with posts failing to load. The CEO of the site wrote, “This was accomplished with a lot of resources, but we get attacked every day.” “Either a nation or a sizable, well-organized group is involved.” Thousands of reports of outages that first rose at around 5.45 am before settling down for a few hours were displayed by Down Detector, a tool that tracks outages on different websites and platforms. Midway through the day, there was a second spike in reported failures, most of which were on the company’s mobile app. When a tweet didn’t show up, it said “something went wrong” and advised users to try loading again. The world’s wealthiest guy made assertions without supporting documentation. In response to a Bitcoin influencer who implied that the downtime mirrored earlier criticism of Elon Musk businesses, he posted. Over the past week, there have been vandalism attacks against Tesla dealerships and protests against the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” project that Musk oversees. In an interview with Fox Business later that day, Musk reiterated his claim of a hack and speculated that the assailants may have been Ukrainian. According to Elon Musk, “A massive cyber-attack was launched to try to bring down the X system with IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area, but we’re not exactly sure what happened.” As ties have worsened between the Ukrainian government and the Trump administration, Musk has been harshly critical of it. Musk claimed over the weekend that if he shut down his Starlink satellite communications provider, the nation’s “entire front line” would fall apart. He also referred to Democratic Senator Mark Kelly as a “traitor” when the politician shared his trip to the country on social media. The CEO of SpaceX, who paid $44 billion to acquire Twitter in 2022, has also asserted that cyberattacks were to blame for earlier platform disruptions. Last year, Elon Musk claimed that a “massive DDOS attack” was to blame for the near-instantaneous meltdown of his live-streamed discussion with Donald Trump. The Verge was later informed by a company source, however, that there was no attack. The X outages are only one of many problems Musk’s companies and projects have been dealing with lately. One of Musk’s SpaceX rockets burst in midair on March 7, 2025, showering debris in the vicinity of the Bahamas. Tesla customers are selling their cars, the company’s stock price dropped on 10 March 2025 to its lowest level in months, and his auto company’s showrooms have been the subject of an Over the past week, there have been numerous “Tesla takedown” protests across the country. Following a heated meeting with Elon Musk and his cabinet secretaries, Trump said he might limit Elon Musk authority over government employees, whom the entrepreneur has fired in large numbers from some departments.

I4C’s ‘Pratibimb’ Module Revolutionizes Cybercrime Investigations with 6,000+ Arrests

The ‘Pratibimb’ module provides jurisdictional officials with visibility into the locations of offenders and crime infrastructure. The Lok Sabha received notice on March 11, 2025, that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Union Home Ministry had introduced the ‘Pratibimb’ module, which tracks the whereabouts of criminals and has led to 36,296 requests for help with cyber investigations, 17,185 linkages, and 6,046 accused arrests. Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Minister of State for Home Affairs, responded to a query by stating that ‘Samanvaya‘, a platform for information sharing and analysis on cybercrimes, has been introduced for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). According to him, it offers data on the perpetrators and crimes linked to interstate connections in cybercrime complaints from different States and UTs. The ‘Pratibimb’ module maps the locations of offenders and crime infrastructure, giving jurisdictional officials visibility. Law Enforcement Agencies can more easily request and receive techno-legal support from I4C and other SMEs thanks to this module. 36,296 requests for assistance with cyber investigations, 17,185 links, and 6,046 accused people have been arrested as a result,” the Minister stated. He went on to say that I4C is an affiliated office established by the Ministry to coordinate and fully address all forms of cybercrimes in the nation. The state-of-the-art ‘National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (Investigation)’ was established as part of the I4C in New Delhi to provide early-stage cyber forensic support to State/UT Police Investigating Officers (IOs). According to him, the National Cyber Forensics Laboratory (Investigation) has so far assisted State/UT LEAs in about 11,835 cybercrime cases.

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