Centre warns against fake letter seeking response over porn on devices

The fraudulent letter is currently circulating, falsely claiming to be from the agency and asserts that suspicious activity has been detected linked to a recipient's IP address

On Thursday, Cyber Dost, backed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, warned the public about a fake letter claiming to be from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C). The letter falsely accuses recipients of serious crimes like child pornography, cyber pornography and grooming.

“In a letter purportedly issued by Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), several allegations are being levelled at the recipient and a reply is being sought to the letter. It is fake,” Cyber Dost re-shared its earlier post on X (formerly Twitter), noting that no such letter has been issued by any government-backed agency. The agency had first warned about such a letter in May.

How does the fake letter target receipts?

The letter is currently circulating, falsely claiming to be from the agency and asserts that suspicious activity has been detected linked to a recipient’s IP address. It alleges that their analysis has identified potential issues such as child pornography, pedophilia, cyber pornography, and grooming.

An IP address or Internet Protocol address is a unique numerical label assigned to technological devices linked to the internet.

The fake letter, with an official format appearing legitimate, first informs the recipient that Indian laws prohibit the publication and transmission of explicit material involving minors.

After establishing this, the fake letter further says that the Central Bureau of Investigation agency and the Cyber Crime Coordination Centre perform investigations in such cases through the use of technology.

After outlining the details of laws and probe, the fake letter then proceeds to say, “For discretion’s sake, I decided to reach you privately before transferring your case file…” for immediate prosecution.

It then asks the recipient to respond to the letter immediately and provide justification for further review. “Failure to respond within 24 hours from now, the prosecutor will establish an arrest warrant against you through the nearest police station,” the fake letter says.

To appear legitimate, the letter also features many stamps and signatures, giving the impression that it has been issued by official authorities. However, the Centre has dismissed the letter as a fraudulent attempt.