PUNJAB POLICE STATE CYBER CRIME CELL ISSUES ALERT ON PHISHING FRAUD LINKED TO COVID-19

PUNJAB POLICE STATE CYBER CRIME CELL ISSUES ALERT ON PHISHING FRAUD LINKED TO COVID-19

BEWARE OF FAKE SMSs CIRCULATING ON WHATSAPP AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS- PUNJAB POLICE WARNS CITIZENS

Harshabab Sidhu
Nabaz-e-Punjab Bureau, Mohali, July 25:
The DITAC of Punjab Police State Cyber Crime Cell has warned the citizens not to click on a URL message being circulated via instant messaging services like SMS or WhatsApp which depicts the free Covid relief package of Rs. 2,000 given by the Government to each citizen.
Disclosing this, an official spokesperson of the Punjab Bureau of Investigation said these kinds of phishing attacks could permit cybercriminals to assume control of your device by logging your keystrokes, or access your own data and money related information, which could lead to emptying your bank account. He said the body of the message being circulated in social media is like “The Government has finally approved and have started giving out free Rs.2,000 Relief Funds to each citizen. Below is how to claim and get yours credit instantly as I have just did now https://covid19-relieffund.com/ . You can only claim and get credited once and it’s also limited so get your now instantly.”
Pointing out output he said once anyone opens the page after clicking on the URL, it shows the congratulatory message. “Get free Rs 7,000 instantly to your bank account. Please complete the survey to avail free lockdown relief funds.”
Along with the congratulatory message, there is a question asking that are you a bonafide Indian citizen? After answering the questions, it is observed that the link actually contains a questionnaire asking about your several other details such as “How much can sustain you throughout their login? What will you use free Rs.7000 for?” After that you will receive a congratulatory message of getting Rs 7,000. You will get a link for sharing this message to other groups and contacts.
The Bureau has urged the people to remain extremely cautious in this regard and not to click on suspicious URL links on social media platforms. “If anyone come across any such message, through any social media platform, don’t not forward it to others but delete it immediately. Clicking on such links pose high risks because it could be malware which could redirect you to other fraudulent sites which may lead to financial loss to the user”, he cautioned.
The spokesperson further exhorted the public not to forward any news or links without verifying the authenticity and verify whether any official announcement been made about the same on the genuine website.
“Any information in this regard or any other cyber crime can be shared with the State Cyber Crime Investigation Centre on email ID ssp.cyber-pb@nic.in to enable the department to take suitable legal action against the criminals indulging in such fraudulent acts”, he added.