Government blocked more than 100 websites, used in wrong investment and job fraud, know details here

The government keeps adopting new methods to deal with cyber crime. Recently the government has taken action against websites luring illegal investments and part-time job fraud. Actually these sites were misleading the users and also committing financial fraud. According to the official statement, these websites were being handled from abroad and had a large network in India.

It was identified last week by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, a unit of the Home Ministry, with the help of the vertical National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit. During this period, 100 websites were identified which were involved in investment and task-based part-time job fraud and were blocked. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had blocked all these websites using the Information Technology Act,2000.

These websites, task based organizations were found to be involved in illegal investments and were linked to economic crimes. It was during the investigation that it was revealed that they were being operated from abroad. Digital advertisements, chat messengers and rented accounts are being used to commit crimes. Money is also withdrawn from card networks, cryptocurrency and overseas ATMs without permission.

MeitY had also blocked 232 apps and these were operated from abroad. It also included Chinese apps that provided betting, gambling and illegal loan services. Lazypay.in was also asked to be blocked. It was a subsidiary of Dutch investment firm Prosus. The Chase India report in May had called for setting up a self-regulatory organization.

These websites are operated from abroad

• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) wing of the Union Home Ministry detected more than 100 websites last week through its vertical National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU).
• This website is involved in investment and work based part time job fraud. The new report has also revealed that all these websites are being operated from foreign countries.
• All these websites were using digital advertising, chat messengers and rented accounts.
• All these websites have been blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

What do these websites do?

• The report also revealed that large-scale financial fraud proceeds were funneled out of India using card networks, cryptocurrencies, foreign ATM withdrawals and international fintech companies.
• As we know that in the beginning of 2023, MeitY had ordered to block 232 apps working like betting, gambling and unofficial loan sites.
• This list includes fintech firms Lazypay, Indiabulls Home Loan and Kisht.