Cyber Crooks Switch to Data-Based Victim Hunting

Hyderabad: Cyber fraudsters have shifted from sending random messages to targeting individuals based on their personal information, using details such as pregnancy, childbirth and recent marriages to lure victims into purported government welfare schemes through fraudulent web links, cybercrime officials said on Thursday.

Instead of circulating identical messages to large numbers of people, fraudsters are now selecting specific categories of victims, including pregnant women, nursing mothers and newly married couples.

They use information about the victims' current circumstances to initiate conversations, gain their confidence and persuade them to register for government benefits through fake websites resembling official portals.

“Going by information gathered from victims, the cyber crooks appear to have changed their modus operandi.

They appear to be targeting women through fake links of various government schemes,” a cyber crime officer said.

Several pregnant women and infants, who were registered at Anganwadi centres for the benefits of government schemes at Anganwadi centers in Hyderabad, complained that they began getting calls from scammers after their registration.

According to sources in the police, the caller typically begins his conversation with 'You have registered as pregnant.. Did you deliver? Did the baby come? Did the baby come? You will get Rs. 12,500 from the government.. If you complete the online verification, we will deposit the money in your account once the online verification is completed you will be getting and OTP.”

A pregnant woman, who was lured by scammers, lost `6,000 from her account, after receiving an OTP for online verification.

“When the victim told me about the incident, I asked her to lodge a complaint with cybercrime,” said G. Saritha, an Anganwadi teacher.

“I along with other victims met cyber crime in-charge and took the matter to his attention. Later, a team of senior officials from the cyber crime wing, comprising women personnel, personally met the pregnant women who had registered their names at Anganwadi centre,” the Anganwadi teacher said.

A similar incident was in Mahabubnagar district four days back, where another pregnant woman received a message on her phone asking her to register for claiming government assistance.

When she clicked on the link, the police sources said she lost `50,000 that she had saved for her hospital expenses.

In her complaint, the victim stated that the scammers sent a message on the mobile number that she had used to register in a hospital in Mahabubnagar district.

The scammers have also duped a newly-married woman in Warangal district by asking her to register for Tulam Gold Scheme.

The message read: “Congratulations on your wedding. You are eligible for the Tulam Gold Scheme introduced by the government. Immediately click on the link below and register your details.' As soon as the user clicks the link, a fake page opens up, which looks exactly as the Telangana government.

On the fake page, the beneficiary's name, Aadhaar number, and bank account details were pre-populated. After she entered OTP, they said she would get confirmation on her mobile. But she `1.20 lakh from her savings account, a TGCSB officer disclosed.

Investigating agencies are trying to find out the source which has been leaking data to cyber crooks.

Entities under scanner include Anganwadi centres, hospitals, diagnostic centres or the ICDS app.

Data of newly-married couples could have been leaked from marriage registration offices and MeeSeva Kendras.

There are also allegations that data is being sold in packages on the dark web or through Telegram groups.

A cyber crime officer said government employees will never send links on WhatsApp, nor make phone calls and ask for OTPs and deposit money into the account.

Applications for any government scheme are received directly from beneficiaries at the public administration centres or through the relevant departments.

The official said they are probing the cases and will identify the scammers very soon. We, however, once again urge citizens not to fall for any temptation in the name of government schemes.

Never click on links from unknown numbers even by mistake and never share your personal, financial details and OTPs with anyone.

If anyone unknowingly clicks on the link and finds out that they have been cheated, the official urged people to call the cybercrime toll-free number 1930 or register a complaint on the cybercrime.gov.in portal and immediately contact the concerned bank officials for blocking the account.