Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Police said that the Thrissur City Police Cyber Crime Unit and the Social Media Unit have found that online fraud is taking place in the name of the Indian Postal Department.
Fraudsters carry out what is known as Phishing in cybercrime. The link to the website leaked by the scammers, which is believed to be the real information of the India Post, has been widely circulated on social media, including WhatsApp.
The cheating method is as follows:
Fraudsters post a link on social media, such as WhatsApp, claiming that the government subsidies are distributed through the Indian Postal Service.
Clicking on this link will bring up the website with the logo and pictures of India Post. In this, you get the message that you are getting Rs.6000 in the government subsidy item. They are asked to answer a few simple questions.
Assuming that this is the original website of the Indian Postal Department, the general public will be asked to click on the pictures provided in order to receive the prize. When you click on it, you will see that the prize is a huge sum or a car.
In order to receive the prize, they are asked to send the link they provide to 4 WhatsApp groups or to 20 WhatsApp numbers. You will then be asked to provide your bank account, Aadhaar card, photo, and phone number.
The sender tempts you, threatens you, and accepts small sums of money, such as processing fees and registration fees, to send the prize money to your bank account.
Assuming a large sum of money is to be received, you will often send small amounts to them so that you may lose money. Otherwise, malicious links will be sent to your phone or computer, and when you click on them, criminals will take control of your phone and computer and withdraw money from your account without your knowledge.
Safety precautions.
1. Ignore the link spread in the name of India Post. Do not click on it or send it to anyone. The Indian Postal Service does not give such gifts to anyone.
2. Note the correct web address of the original Indian Postal Department (India Post) website. Identify the misleading web address of the fake website that is now circulating.
3. What is Phishing?
Phishing is a social engineering method used to deceive a person into stealing sensitive information or installing malicious software on their computers.
