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Conspiracy Calls: From Deepfakes to Innovative Financial Scams, How the Cybercrime Landscape is Evolving | Ahmedabad News
From deepfakes in election campaigns to innovative financial scams, the cybercrime landscape is evolving rapidly. here are more you can’t miss
Every time you connect to the Internet, you risk falling victim to curious cybercriminals. They can steal your personal information, break into your bank accounts and even ruin your reputation. With technology at their disposal, they are also becoming dangerously inventive – deepfakes and AI-enabled misinformation took center stage in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.
According to National Crime Records Bureau data, between January 1, 2020 and May 15, 2023, internet users in Gujarat made 1.59 lakh registrations on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) or helpline number 1930. There are 5,585 registrations per month and one every 7.5 minutes on average. Only awareness can help you stay ahead of these cybercriminals and prevent you from becoming their next target.
The imitators: Fraudsters pose as bank executives or online shopping representatives and trick their victims into revealing their WhatsApp verification code or asking them to scan a QR code. It links the victim’s account to the fraudster’s device. They then exploit the compromised accounts to direct contacts with requests for money, further perpetuating the scam.
AI Calls: Scammers are now employing AI to clone voices. Victims receive calls under the pretext of emergencies and the caller’s voice sounds like that of a family member/friend in distress. Victims are then asked to quickly transfer large sums of money to help their loved ones.
‘Power play: Criminals pose as public officials, intimidating victims with threats of disconnection from public services unless they pay false bills, causing fear and financial losses.
Very respectful: Scammers exploit victims’ respect for the military by posing as Army officers and manipulating them into donating their money.
Dubious policy: Fraudsters pose as insurance company employees and promise to help you discontinue the policy and get the surrender value. They keep demanding money from you under the pretext of releasing the amount and after you transfer the money, they disappear.
Identification scam: Cybercriminals obtain people’s photo ID cards through agents who enroll citizens in various government schemes.
Using these documents, they acquire SIM cards to make calls to defraud people. Likewise, if you haven’t bothered to retrieve copies of your identification documents from a bank executive after an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a bank card or personal loan, you may face similar problems.
Deep Fakes: Deepfake videos are generated using AI tools that use facial reconstruction. It involves studying pre-recorded video footage of a person and then applying their facial expressions to another person through AI face swap tools.
Love Struck: Scammers posing as rich NRIs lure singles into a relationship and propose marriage to them. They then call their targets, saying they are at an Indian airport but cannot leave the location without paying certain fees as they are carrying foreign currency. The victims transfer the requested money and the criminals disappear.
Badlapur: Cybercriminals avenge perceived mistreatment or humiliation by creating fake Instagram accounts and sending friend requests to their targets. They lure them into exchanging explicit chats and nude photos and then blackmail them or send the screenshots to the victim’s family.
Custom Call: Fraudsters posing as customs officials call people to tell them that a package in their name has been found containing drugs. They also send forged CBI letters and make video calls to the gullible target to “solve the case”. A few days ago, the Union Finance Ministry advised people to remain vigilant and said that customs officials never contact individuals over phone or email to ask them to pay customs duties into private accounts. Be aware.
Cloning Yes: Fraudsters gain access to a phone’s data and clone it in a variety of ways. They can use a SIM scanner, which is a small device that allows you to scan a phone from a short distance. Scammers sometimes make people order a new SIM card by sending links, which victims unwittingly click on. This allows the fraudster to obtain important information from the victim’s cell phone and replicate their digital identity.
Pharmaceutical: A type of attack in which victims are directed to fraudulent websites or criminals manipulate victims’ computer systems to collect confidential information. Be very careful when clicking on any link.
OTP Scam: Criminals bypass OTP security by tricking bank customers into revealing OTPs to access their accounts and steal money.
Crypto fraud: Fake cryptocurrency gangs create fake profiles of USDT traders and scam people by offering to sell them USDT cryptocurrencies at half the market price. After victims invest their money, callers are incommunicado.
CIBIL Problems: Cybercriminals have been running a distinct scheme that exploits victims’ CIBIL scores and demands money to improve them.
Commission Fraud: Scammers lure Internet users into making money from the movie ticket business. They are asked to buy tickets in bulk and watch and review the movies to claim commission. But here’s the catch: to receive the commission, they must buy more tickets.
(In)draw: Criminals hack databases to target individuals based on their spending history, tricking them into believing they have won a prize and then extorting money.
Trafficking for fraud: Unions lure young people with false promises of jobs abroad, especially in Cambodia, Laos and the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, only to force them to work in call centers involved in credit card fraud and fraudulent cryptocurrency investments , using fake applications and honey traps.
Recruitment Fraud: Cybercriminals exploit professionals by conducting fake interviews and demanding payments to apply for non-existent jobs. The money is gone, as is the promised job and imaginary salary package.
Stock shock: Stock market junkies are lured into investing in stocks with “upper circuit” potential with the promise of good returns. They are made for download links. They end up investing thousands of dollars but don’t get any money back.
Education Loan Fraud: Shady companies “hire” students from campuses and misuse their documents to secure educational loans without their knowledge. In addition to irregular salaries, they also face considerable financial difficulties in the form of EMIs for loans they never took out.
Sextortion: Cybercriminals click screenshots of their naked bodies along with the faces of the hapless victims who answer their calls. They then hang up the calls and use the screenshots to extort money from victims, which even include women.
The information responds: Young people who post every little detail about their lives, including videos and photos on social media about their hangouts, can become fodder for cybercriminals.
Criminals exploit these posts to deceive parents by falsely claiming that their children have been charged with crimes.