Bengaluru News: The Bengaluru police uncovered a cybercrime network that defrauded people by offering enormous returns on investments and contacting them using instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Bangalore News: Cybercrime Network busted
The Bengaluru Cyber Crime Branch (CCB) played a significant role in the capture of this criminal organization’s members. The gang responsible for these illegal acts has been apprehended by the CCB cybercrime police, and a total of 17 incidents have been reported in the city.
Notably, the defendants were running the accounts from Bengaluru while they were living abroad.
Key members of the Bengaluru-based gang, such as Navara Manoj alias Jock, Phanindra, Vasanth, Srinivasa, Chakradar, alias Chakri, and Somashekhar, nicknamed Uncle, were collaborating with associates based abroad.
How did they scam people?
Using apps like Telegram and WhatsApp, this sophisticated cybercrime organisation sends messages with job offers to individuals all throughout India. Potential victims were convinced to participate in what they believed to be side jobs related to Google. They were given the task of rating various stores and leaving Google reviews in exchange for payment. The accused encouraged users to support cryptocurrency-related businesses after they joined a Telegram chat. Between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 10,000 were persuaded to be invested by them. Customers would receive a daily profit guarantee after investing, ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
As more people invested and confidence grew, the stakes gradually increased. Victims too gave thousands and even crores of rupees. Then, these funds were deposited into several Bengaluru bank accounts. The funds were subsequently transferred into foreign bank accounts, where they were used by the cybercriminal gang in charge of the bank accounts to purchase Bitcoin. With this money, the foreign group would then make many investments in foreign companies. As part of the operation, law enforcement agencies seized computers, mobile phones, laptops, bank account information, credit cards, debit cards, swipe machines, SIM cards, printers, and chequebooks. In addition, the CCB police have frozen Rs 5 crore in the accused’s bank accounts.
How do you stay safe from such attacks?
- Get acquainted with the methods that crooks typically employ. When someone is aware of the game they are playing, they can hardly ever fool that person.
- Maintain the security of your personal data at all times. Anytime someone requests your credit card number or other sensitive information, you should exercise the utmost caution.
- When someone or an organisation contacts you, do your research on them. It’s crucial to consider their motivations when communicating with anyone, whether it’s a potential romantic partner on a dating website, a recruiter on LinkedIn, or a charity representative asking for donations.
- Be cautious of internet offers and discounts. This includes job postings, promotional codes, trip offers, no-obligation gifts, or unusually steep discounts on pricey goods.
- When shopping online, exercise caution. If the website is new to you, do some research on it and make sure the payment method is secure.
- Verify the privacy settings on your social media accounts. If your personal information is readily accessible online, you may become a target for fraudsters; thus, review your settings to limit what information is posted publicly.
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