By Trend News Line 2024-05-24 04:39:50.
Indian Authorities Crack Down on Overseas Spoof Calls
Indian authorities are taking action to prevent the surge of spoof calls originating from overseas that falsely claim to be from law enforcement agencies. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have joined forces to combat this growing issue. These fraudulent calls often pretend to be from agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and make false accusations of ‘digital arrests’.
Partnership with Microsoft to Combat Logo Misuse
In a bid to tackle the misuse of logos belonging to enforcement agencies by scammers abroad, I4C has teamed up with tech giant Microsoft. These scammers exploit the logos to deceive Indian citizens and extract money from them. Rajesh Kumar, the chief executive of I4C, highlighted the alarming trend of scammers posing as police or law enforcement officials to extort money from unsuspecting individuals.
Identifying Avenues for Extortion
The avenues for extorting money in these ‘digital arrests’ include international fund transfers, physical gold transactions, cryptocurrency exchanges, and ATM withdrawals. Kumar urged citizens to report any suspicious phone numbers, WhatsApp identities, or URLs related to cybercrime on the designated website. By categorising them as ‘suspect data’ and cross-referencing phone numbers with the ‘suspect repository data’, individuals can help combat these fraudulent activities.
Ministry of Home Affairs Issues Advisory
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently issued an advisory detailing the modus operandi of fraudsters who use setups resembling police stations and government offices to deceive their targets. These fraudsters create scenarios where victims are informed of receiving illicit packages or are implicated in criminal activities, prompting them to make payments to influence the outcome of their ‘case’. In some instances, individuals are subjected to ‘digital arrests’ and are required to stay accessible via video conferencing platforms until the demands of the fraudsters are met.
Blocking of SIM Cards and Mobile Devices
The home ministry disclosed that the I4C is actively involved in blocking SIM cards, mobile devices, and mule accounts used by these fraudsters. This coordinated effort aims to disrupt the operations of cross-border criminal syndicates engaged in online economic crimes. By taking decisive action against these fraudulent activities, Indian authorities are striving to safeguard citizens from falling victim to such scams..
1. Preventing international spoof calls targeting Indian citizens
2. Government measures to combat international phone scams targeting Indian population.