Cyber fraud alert: Police urge public to cross-check news, avoid scams

Cross-verification of news items and avoiding clicking on suspicious links are among the advisories issued to the public to prevent them from falling prey to cyber frauds, the Cyber Crime Wing of the police department said on Saturday.

The agency also appealed to people not to trust any investment schemes or trading platforms promoted through unverified sources, even if they appear to be endorsed by public figures.

Citing a recent social media post containing sensational headlines involving celebrities and forged logos of popular news outlets that promote investment opportunities through stock trading, the Cyber Crime Department said the proliferation of such media postswith fake news involving public figures like singer Shreya Ghoshal endorsing investment websitesposes a significant risk to social media users.

A team of officials from the department is actively patrolling social media platforms and has been taking down fraudulent handles and websites. "So far, we have identified 25 'X' (formerly Twitter) handles and posts containing false information about Shreya Ghoshal allegedly promoting certain trading platforms, and all these handles have been suspended," an official release said.

In addition, 38 associated websites and trading platforms linked to these misleading posts have been identified and subsequently blocked, it said.

Pointing out that a similar trend is emerging on the social media platform Facebook, the Cyber Crime Department said that renowned public figures, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, were being used to promote fraudulent investment sites.

"The Cyber Crime Wing has identified 18 suspicious Facebook posts and 15 associated websites. Efforts are underway to take down these posts and fake news websites," the department said.

Giving details about how the scam works, the department said fraudsters operate by posting fake and alarming news related to celebrities on social media platforms. When users click on these posts, they are redirected to a random news website that appears legitimate.

These web pages contain fabricated stories about well-known celebrities and false claims that they earn huge profits through specific investment or trading platforms.

"This is a deliberate ploy to build credibility and manipulate readers into believing that the trading platform is legitimate. By doing so, the scammers promote false investment websites and trick unsuspecting individuals into investing their money in that website, thereby making them victims of cyber fraud," the agency said.

Social media platforms like 'X' and Facebook are advised to put in place proactive measures to identify fake posts that attempt to lure innocent citizens into falling victim to the fraudulent activities of these criminal networks, it said.

The agency noted that social media platforms earn huge revenue through the 'X' handle verification fee and advertisements, but their efforts to curtail fraudulent activities are not "noticeable and a cause of concern."  Asking people to refrain from sharing personal or financial details on websites that are not officially recognised, the agency said individuals can call the Cyber Crime toll-free number 1930 or lodge a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in if they come across any suspicious activity.