Indian e-commerce users target of new ‘year-end carnival’ online scam

Agencies
December 29, 2020

New Delhi, Dec 29: As New Year festivities begin, cybercriminals based in China also have their own plans. They are targeting Indian e-commerce users with a new "year-end carnival, Get free Christmas gifts" scam, an investigation has revealed.

The scam is designed to make e-commerce users believe that Flipkart is offering an year-end carnival, although there is no such information this year on the e-commerce player's official website regarding such a carnival, New Delhi-based CyberPeace Foundation which conducted the investigation said on Monday.

The cybercriminals want to dupe e-commerce users into thinking that they can win a brand new OPPO F17 Pro smartphone.

The owner of the sites that are being shared via the social media platform, is not Flipkart Internet Private Limited.

It seems that the sites are registered in China, as per the investigation.

While the new scam bears many similarities to the Spin the Lucky Wheel Scam reported earlier, the new scam aims to also inject malware into the smartphones of users by asking people to install a third-party malicious app.

"There is a need for International cyber cooperation between countries to bust the criminal networks running the fraud campaigns affecting individuals and organisations to make the cyberspace resilient and peaceful," Vineet Kumar, President and Founder, CyberPeace Foundation, said in a statement.

"With the growing number of attacks and disruption in the cyberspace, countries are struggling with attributing attacks and fixing accountability which stands to be one of the major causes of concerns today."

The scam is new and is in the early stages of its lifecycle. There is a probability that this scam could reach a mass number of Indians by December 31 and could last well until the first week of January, according to CyberPeace Foundation.

Unlike Spin the wheel scam, the format of selecting winners is different this time.

On the landing page, a lucky draw section can be seen, on clicking the start button it shows "It's a pity that you didn't get the reward, you have 2 more chances" with an alert.

Also at the bottom of this page, a section comes up which seems to be a Facebook comment section where many users have commented about how much the offer is beneficial. All these comments and accounts are fake as per the investigation.

This scam is a much more malicious version of the earlier e-commerce scams as it aims to keep users engaged with fake popup alerts.

Every time a user clicks on the WhatsApp button on the scam website to share the link ahead with friends and family via Whatsapp a new tab opens on browser with a link.

It means if the user clicks on the link from a mobile device it will open the installed WhatsApp application on the phone.

Earlier reports showed that China-based hacking groups also targeted online shoppers during the record-breaking Flipkart festive season sales.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Hamas says the Israeli regime’s sole objective lies in “erasing” the entirety of the Palestinian population from across the Palestinian territories.

Khalil al-Hayya, a ranking official with the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement, made the remarks to the Palestinian al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday.

“The occupation targets everyone—it strikes hospitals, civil defense, women, children, and the elderly,” he said, adding that the regime sought to “empty Gaza of its residents, and displace the Palestinian people to fulfill its dreams of building a Zionist Jewish state across all of Palestine.”

The remarks came amid the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on the coastal sliver that has so far claimed the lives of nearly 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

“This unprecedented aggression in modern times evokes scenes from the dark ages of human history, having crossed all red lines and exceeded every expectation of brutality in the modern era,” the Palestinian official lamented.

He also regretted that the regime had added “systematic and dangerous starvation to its aggression, falsely claiming before the world that it allows 250 [aid] trucks into Gaza daily. In reality, the number of trucks is far fewer.”

Hayya, meanwhile, regretted that “scenes of children torn apart, women screaming over their children, and heart-wrenching destruction have failed to stir enough humanity to stop these crimes.”

He decried the United States for vetoing the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions that are aimed at bringing about a potential ceasefire in the war, saying this indicated Washington’s “partnership in the aggression” and a simultaneous siege that the Israeli regime has been enforcing on Gaza.

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official asserted that, despite what the Israeli official is after, Hamas would not hand over the regime’s captives “without [the regime’s] stopping the war.”

He called Netanyahu “the main obstacle” in the way of cessation of the aggression, saying the Israeli premier “blocks any progress for political reasons,” and citing his preventing conclusion of a ceasefire agreement in July.

Hayya also warned that the regime sought to expand the war beyond Gaza, but asserted that its goals are “impossible and will never happen.”

“Today, the enemy exposes its true intentions of extermination and displacement, but it will fail,” he stressed.

“The Palestinian people are resilient and will not surrender, as they believe in their humanitarian and political cause. The enemy and its allies will not succeed in achieving their goals. This steadfast people will endure, and the occupation will not prevail against them.”

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News Network
November 18,2024

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Mangaluru: The Ullal police have arrested Manohar, the owner of Vazco Beach Resort, and its manager Bharath in connection with the drowning of three college girls from Mysuru at the resort’s swimming pool on November 17.

City Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal confirmed the arrests, stating that a case has been registered under Section 106 of BNS. The bodies of the victims, all in their twenties, have been handed over to their parents. The women had arrived at the resort for a weekend getaway on November 16.

Following the tragic incident, the resort was sealed by officials led by Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner Harshavardhan. The trade license of the resort, issued on June 13, 2024, has been suspended, and the tourism department has temporarily revoked the resort's registration. These actions prohibit the resort from engaging in any tourism-related activities until further notice.

Someshwara TMC Chief Officer stated that the suspension was due to the resort's failure to implement adequate safety measures, which resulted in the loss of three lives. Further investigations are underway.

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News Network
November 10,2024

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Mangaluru: A tragic accident took place on Saturday at Chembugudde near Thokkottu, claiming the life of a 47-year-old woman after a tanker lorry ran over her. The victim, identified as Rahmat H Rashid, was riding pillion with her husband, Abdul Rashid G, on their scooter. 

The couple was traveling from Yenepoya Hospital to Bajpe when the scooter skidded on the poorly maintained road. Rahmat fell onto the road and was fatally struck by a tanker lorry that was coming from behind. Despite being rushed to the hospital, doctors declared her dead upon arrival.

The incident prompted a swift response from the DYFI Ullal Taluk Committee, which staged a protest on Saturday night, condemning the unsafe condition of the road. Nithin Kuthar, president of the committee, criticized MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader for failing to ensure safe infrastructure, despite touting the road as toll-free. 

Kuthar demanded immediate repairs, warning that the committee would march to the MLA’s office with black flags if the road is not fixed within a week.

Former DYFI State President Sunil Kumar Bajal also voiced frustration over the deteriorating condition of Thokkottu market, highlighting the struggles people face while crossing roads riddled with dangerous potholes. In response to public outcry, temporary repairs were made to the road at Chembugudde on Sunday, though locals remain wary and demand a more permanent solution. 

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