Fraudulent letters falsely accuse victims of cyber crimes like child pornography and threaten immediate legal action.
The government confirms these letters are fake and urges the public to disregard them.
Authorities advise people not to respond, and to report any suspicious messages to the proper channels.
In response to the increasing number of cyber scams targeting Indian citizens, the Indian government has formally warned the public. Threat actors are spreading fake letters that appear to be official government communication in an attempt to steal the money. According to the letter, if the recipient doesn’t pay or disclose information, they risk being digitally arrested.
These letters accuse the recipient of cybercrimes such as child pornography, pedophilia, and cyberpornography and appear to be from official government agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C). In addition to including legal passages from the Indian Penal Code and assertions that authorities are looking into the matter, the letter’s conclusion frequently contains scary threats of instant legal action if the victim does not reply within a certain amount of time.
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With the help of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), government has announced that none of the agencies are issuing such letters. According to PIB’s social media post, these letters are clearly fraudulent and are being spread by cybercriminals in an attempt to scam the public. The government also advised against acting or putting your trust in them.
In order to make it appear more genuine and to frighten and defraud individuals, the post further notes that these emails and messages frequently originate from high-ranking officials, such as the CEO of I4C, and even bring up the collaboration with the CBI and Interpol.
Tips to be safe:
If you do not want to fall for scams like these, the government has issued few guidelines that can help you:
1. Do not respond: Do not respond to any letters or emails that suggest legal action, a ransom demand, or anything else.
2. Verify: If you have received any of these letters, before taking any action, you should contact the relevant government offices through official means.
3. Report: If you have received such emails, calls, texts, or letters, you should notify the authorities.
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