The Indian government has taken decisive action by blocking more than 100 websites involved in facilitating organized illegal investments linked to economic crimes and part-time job scams.
These websites, primarily operated by overseas entities, targeted vulnerable groups such as retired employees, women, and unemployed youth seeking part-time employment, according to an official statement.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), a branch of the Union Home Ministry, working through its National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), identified and recommended the blocking of these websites last week. Acting on these recommendations, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) utilized its authority under the Information Technology Act, 2000, to initiate the blockage of the identified websites.
The illicit operations facilitated by these websites involved task-based organized illegal investments related to economic crimes, and they were found to be employing digital advertising, chat messengers, and mule and rented accounts.
The proceeds from these economic frauds were observed to be laundered out of India using various channels, including card networks, cryptocurrency, overseas ATM withdrawals, and international Fintech companies, as per the official statement.
The I4C, established by the Home Ministry to address cybercrimes in a coordinated manner, urged citizens to report phone numbers and social media handles used by fraudsters to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). The statement highlighted that several complaints had already been received through the 1930 helpline and the NCRP, indicating a significant threat to citizens and data security concerns.
The fraudulent activities typically followed a sequence involving targeted digital advertisements on platforms like Google and Meta, using keywords such as "Ghar baithe job" (Do jobs sitting at home) and "Ghar baithe kamai kaise karen" (How to earn by sitting at home) in multiple languages. Upon engagement with potential victims, agents using WhatsApp or Telegram would persuade them to perform tasks like video likes, subscribe to services, and rate maps.
As part of precautionary measures, citizens are advised to exercise due diligence before investing in online schemes promising very high commissions. The statement emphasized the importance of verifying the names of receivers mentioned in UPI apps and cautioned against transactions with unknown accounts to prevent potential involvement in money laundering, terror financing, and legal actions.
