The Chhattisgarh

Tag: Cyber Scam

  • Naked-Chat Blackmail: 55 Men, 4 Women Fell Prey To Video Chat Scam, Made To Pay Rs 2 Cr As Sextortion; Caution For Indians |

    New Delhi: Around 59 people in Hong Kong, four of whom were women, were deceived into paying over HK$1.9 million (about Rs 2 crore) in just one week after they were forced to go nude during video conversations. 

    The South China Morning Post (SCMP) said that the police released the numbers on its Facebook page on Friday, cautioning locals to exercise caution when meeting persons online.

    To trick women on social media, the scammers have also been masquerading as “highly educated, high-income and physically attractive” men. The Hong Kong police claimed that the perpetrators “use sweet talk to learn about the victims’ personal lives and interests to manipulate them.” It was further said, “In the past week, police received 59 cases of naked-chat blackmail, with scammers extorting more than HK$1.9 million. Four cases involved female victims.”

    Additionally, the police disclosed that a 5th of the 1,102 victims of “naked-chat blackmail” were students. The scammers coerced the victims into paying over HK$31 million(about Rs 34 crore). According to SCMP, several of the students were around 11 years old.

    Cases of naked-chat blackmail or sextortion in India
    Several instances of sextortion or naked chat blackmail have also been documented in India. People were cautioned by the Kerala police earlier this year about honey traps and not to answer video calls from strangers or unknown numbers. In 2022, a Bengaluru man had to pay Rs 5 lakh man to fraudsters after he was tricked into becoming nude on a video chat. In 2023, two men were detained in Rajasthan for tricking a person from Vadodara into making a naked WhatsApp chat and demanding Rs 3.33 lakh from him. 

    What is Sextortion?
    Sextortion is a type of cyber abuse in which a cybercriminal uses social media platforms, instant messaging apps, SMS, online dating apps, porn sites, and other channels to entice victims into private video/audio chats where they are forced to pose nude or provide explicit pictures. These materials are eventually used by the fraudsters to blackmail the victims. Both male and female victims may fall prey to these kinds of frauds. 

    Tips to protect against online sextortion
    * Never accept video calls or open attachments from strangers.
    * Keeping your personal photos, videos, and posts private is advisable.
    * It is always advisable to decline friendship requests from strangers on social media.
    * Do not click on intimate, nude, or semi-nude pictures and videos.
    * Enable privacy and security settings on social media accounts.
    * File a sextortion complaint with the cybercrime cell.

  • Cybercrime: Scammers Dupes Muzaffarpur Businessman Of Rs 89.90 Lakh; Know How To Be Safe |

    New Delhi: Cyber fraudsters defrauded a Muzaffarpur businessman of Rs 89.90 lakh by alleging his involvement in a money laundering case, an official reported on Saturday. The victim has lodged an FIR at the Muzaffarpur cyber police station, and the Bihar Police’s cyber cell is currently investigating the matter.

    According to the FIR, the victim received a call from an unknown number. The caller, posing as a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) official, claimed that the victim’s phone number would be disconnected within two hours. The caller further informed the victim that another mobile number (8945392862) was active under his Aadhaar documentation and had been used to send illegal messages. 

    He stated that an FIR had been registered in Tilak Nagar Police Station in Mumbai and the victim had to appear before the officers. The caller transferred the victim’s call to another number (+91 7453951616) and a person wearing a police uniform interacted with him via a video call.

    “That man in the police uniform claimed to be an officer of the Tilak Nagar Police Station and he took the victim’s statement. “He also informed him that a bank account had been opened in Canara Bank using his Aadhaar number and that account was used in the money laundering case of one Naresh Goyal with illegal transactions to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore,” said Seema Devi, DSP of cyber cell Muzaffarpur.

    “He further informed the victim that an arrest warrant had been issued by the Supreme Court and asked him to appear at the Tilak Nagar Police Station. When the victim expressed his inability to reach Mumbai on such a short notice, the caller asked him to upload the details of the source of his earnings on the website of the Supreme Court. That caller also gave him a link http://www.main-scoi.in/,” the officer said.

    “When the victim opened the link, an arrest warrant was shown in his name. Hence, he uploaded his bank details on that website. Soon after, the cyber conmen withdrew Rs 89.90 lakh from his account. The victim lodged an FIR on July 24 and we are investigating the matter,” she said.

    The DSP did not reveal the name of the victim and said that four other FIRs had been registered in Muzaffarpur where fraudsters had used the same modus operandi to dupe people.

    Here’s How To Be Safe from Cyber Scams

    If you want to avoid cyber scams, then you have to use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, avoid suspicious links, keep software updated, and be cautious with personal information. It is important to note that TRAI doesn’t make such calls. (With Inputs From IANS)

  • Delhi Police Shares Easy Tricks To Spot Fake Online Banking Messages |

    New Delhi: With the increasing prevalence of online scams, government agencies are stepping up efforts to raise awareness among the public. Recently, the Delhi Police took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share images demonstrating how to identify fake online banking messages.

    Spotting Fake Messages

    The Delhi Police cautioned that scammers may use Cyrillic Script to conduct phishing attacks. Therefore, they advised users to carefully examine the URL of any link before clicking on it to avoid falling victim to such fraudulent schemes. (Also Read: Veg Thali Becomes Expensive In March, Non-Veg Cheaper: Check Rates)

    The Dangers Of Fake Links

    The police shared two images illustrating how seemingly genuine messages can pose a serious threat. By using Cyrillic Script, scammers can create links that closely resemble the URLs of legitimate bank websites, tricking unsuspecting users into divulging sensitive information. (Also Read: China May Use AI Content To Influence Lok Sabha Polls, Warns Microsoft Report)

    How Scammers Operate?

    Clicking on these fake links redirects users to web pages that mimic real bank websites, prompting them to enter their account numbers and passwords.

    Scammers then exploit this information for fraudulent transactions. Even if users have Two-Factor Authentication enabled, scammers may impersonate bank employees to request additional verification codes.

    Protecting Yourself

    To safeguard against such scams, individuals are advised to scrutinize any messages received from unknown numbers or containing links to bank websites.

    Paying attention to spelling mistakes or special characters in URLs can help identify fraudulent links. If in doubt, users are encouraged to search for the bank’s official website on Google and cross-check the URL.

    Remain Vigilant

    As online scams continue to evolve, users need to remain vigilant and exercise caution when interacting with messages or links from unfamiliar sources. By following these precautions, individuals can better protect themselves against falling victim to online fraud.

  • Online Promises Turn Sour: Navi Mumbai Man Duped Of Rs 10.13 Lakh In High-Return Scam |

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  • Online Investment Fraud: Union Bank Manager Falls Victim To Scam, Loses Rs 21 Lakh |

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  • Online Scam Preys On Mumbai Senior Citizen, Resulting In Rs 4.4 Lakh Loss |

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