The420 Daily Cyber Crime News Updates: Arrests in Rs 4.5 Crore Bank Fraud and Black Magic Scams, CERT-In Flags Major Tech Vulnerabilities, Thiruvananthapuram’s Record Online Fraud, and More

Cyber Crime Police Arrest Three in Rs 4.5 Crore Bank Fraud Case

1. Three men, including a BTech (IT) graduate, were arrested for defrauding a private bank of nearly Rs 4.5 crore through an online transaction failure fraud, with a hacker from Turkey suspected to be the mastermind.
2. The fraud involved the hacker posing as an international merchant, submitting fake documents to claim refunds for failed transactions, which led the bank to transfer funds to 34 credit card holders.
3. The bank discovered the fraud when the credited amounts were not settled, leading to a complaint being filed in January after failed attempts to contact the supposed merchants.
4. Analysis of the money trail revealed significant amounts being transferred to individuals who then took commissions and converted the rest into cryptocurrency to send to the hacker.
5. The arrests were the result of a comprehensive investigation by the cyber crime police, who are still in pursuit of the hacking mastermind behind the scheme.

CERT-In Warns of Critical Vulnerabilities in Apple, Android, and Chrome

1. CERT-In has identified vulnerabilities in various Apple products that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary codes on devices such as Macbook, iPad, iPhone, and Vision Pro.
2. The agency also highlighted “multiple vulnerabilities” in Android systems that could lead to sensitive information theft, elevated privileges for attackers, and denial of service conditions.
3. Users are at risk if they visit maliciously crafted requests, which could exploit these vulnerabilities to compromise their devices.
4. Apart from Apple and Android, CERT-In reported similar vulnerabilities in Google Chrome that could result in denial of service, information disclosure, and arbitrary code execution.
5. These vulnerabilities pose significant security risks, highlighting the importance of constant vigilance and updates to protect against potential cyber-attacks.

ALSO READ: DHS Report Unmasks: Microsoft’s Oversight Opens Door to Chinese Cyber Threats!

Thiruvananthapuram Doctor Falls Victim to City’s Largest Online Fraud of Rs 2.56 Crore

1. A 46-year-old female doctor from Mannanthala, Thiruvananthapuram, was defrauded of Rs 2.56 crore in the city’s largest reported online fraud, lured by the promise of high returns on online trading.
2. The fraud was executed by six accused who convinced the doctor to join a WhatsApp group, where fake success stories motivated her to make an initial small investment, which led to further, larger investments.
3. Despite initial returns, the doctor eventually stopped receiving profits, yet was pressured to continue investing under the threat of losing her payments, leading to the loss of her entire investment.
4. City cyber police are investigating the case with high priority, examining all involved accounts and aiming to apprehend the culprits, alongside investigating a similar case where a man was cheated of Rs 37.5 lakh in online gold trading.
5. Following these incidents and a previous case where a man was defrauded of Rs 2.25 crore by impostors posing as CBI officials, the city cyber police have urged the public to exercise increased caution regarding online investments.

ALSO READ: Canva Caught in Cyber Storm: Indian Authorities Crack Down on Misuse!

Thane SIT Nabs Main Accused in Rs 16,000-Crore Cyber Fraud Case

1. Jitendra Pandey, the main accused in a Rs 16,000-crore cyber fraud case, was arrested by the Thane SIT team from Varanasi, marking the 12th arrest in the case.
2. The fraud was uncovered in July 2023, involving the siphoning of Rs 25 crore through a payment gateway company’s escrow account, with Rs 1.39 crore traced to Riyal Enterprises, which utilized economically underprivileged individuals’ bank accounts.
3. Investigations revealed that Pandey and his associates transferred money overseas using fake documents and identities, involving 269 bank accounts across various partnership firms.
4. Before leading the scam, Pandey was a banker and utilized his IT and banking knowledge to facilitate illegal money transfers, often taking a 20-30% commission for the transactions aimed at tax evasion.
5. The scam involved creating fake import-export businesses, utilizing fake products and documents to send money outside India, thereby evading large sums of custom duty and income tax.

ALSO READ: ICICI Bank Warns Customers of Sophisticated Online Scams Draining Accounts

Tantrik Arrested for Cheating 100 People Through Black Magic Scams

1. Munish Bhargava, posing as Shailendranath Baba on social media, was arrested for cheating 100 people through black magic, including a Surat man defrauded of Rs 15.51 lakh.
2. The victim, Rajesh Parmar, encountered Bhargava via Facebook and was promised solutions to his problems, including constant headaches and insomnia, through black magic.
3. Bhargava claimed that seven evil souls inhabited Parmar’s home and charged Rs 20,000 initially to remove four, stating that goat sacrifices were needed for the others at an additional cost.
4. The tantrik and his brother conducted a ritual in Parmar’s home, claiming to discover gold and charging the family gold and cash, totaling Rs 15.51 lakh, for various rituals from October 2022 to May 2023.
5. After ceasing communication with Parmar, who then sought help through the cyber crime helpline, police arrested Bhargava and his brother, revealing their scam of creating illusions of finding bones and gold during rituals.

ALSO READ: Ghostly Approval: This New App Lets You Post for Invisible Fans

Bank Accounts for Sale: How Cyber Criminals Duped Victims of Crores

1. Nisha Yadav, a 35-year-old law course drop-out, was arrested for her involvement in three cyber fraud cases, including one where a 73-year-old businessman was cheated out of Rs. 4.15 crore.
2. Yadav’s arrest followed the capture of four men who confessed to selling her bank account details for Rs. 15,000 each, which she then “purchased” for cyber fraud activities.
3. The major fraud incident involved deceiving a garment trader into making 30 transactions totaling Rs. 4.15 crore, under the guise of profitable commodity trading via WhatsApp.
4. During the investigation, police uncovered 330 bank accounts used in the fraud, leading to the seizure of Rs. 1.69 crore and the arrest of Yadav along with the four accomplices.
5. Yadav was procuring and distributing bank accounts to cybercriminals for commissions, contributing significantly to the operations of the cyber fraud network.

Cyber Criminals Posing as Mumbai Police Nabbed for Rs 20 Lakh Fraud

1. Two individuals were arrested for defrauding a woman of Rs 20 lakh by posing as Mumbai Police officials and claiming she had a parcel containing illegal items.
2. The arrested suspects, Ashutosh alias Rohit and Mohit, hail from Nagaur district, Rajasthan, and were caught in the city on Sunday.
3. The victim was coerced into transferring Rs 20 lakh after being falsely informed by the impostors about a non-existent parcel under her name.
4. Investigations revealed the money was transferred to a bank account opened by Ashutosh with a forged Aadhaar card, with Mohit facilitating access to cybercrime gangs.
5. The duo operated 38 bank accounts for the gang, receiving commissions from the fraudulent transactions, with various items including debit cards, cheque books, and fake IDs seized from them.

Follow The420.in on

 Telegram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube