The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN), which is a nodal agency under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), has warned users against phishing attacks this festive season, mainly targeted towards women.
The CERT-IN has warned that these fake messages are being circulated on social media platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, etc. The messages often contain suspicious links claiming to be Diwali gifts, prizes, or festive offers, leading unsuspecting users to phishing websites similar to that of brands popularly used by Indian customers. As warned by the CERT-IN, threats targeted towards women come in the form of messages asking one to share links among peers over their accounts on social media platforms as well.
The advisory stated, “The customer will be lured with a false claim of a special festive offer on answering a questionnaire through which one can win money and prizes. The attackers entice the users to give sensitive information like personal details, bank account details, passwords, OTPs, or use it for adware and other adversarial purposes.”
The CERT-IN has also highlighted that the phishing websites often use Chinese domains like ‘.cn’ or other extensions like ‘.top’ or ‘.xyz’. As a part of a list of do’s and don’ts, The Centre has not only asked users to beware of website domains but to also avoid clicking on links from emails or messages that they may not recognise or trust. Apart from this, not sharing credit card details, bank account details or OTPs is also a good way to avoid fraudulent activities. Additionally only download your apps from verified app stores to ensure you use genuine platforms.
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