TN Police busts fake National Cybercrime Reporting Portal website

CHENNAI: The cyber patrolling team of the Cyber crime wing on Wednesday said that they had identified a website impersonating "National Cybercrime Reporting Portal" and had taken it down.

The website's domain registrar is based in Hong Kong and a notice was sent to the concerned authorities to block the fraudulent website and it was taken down immediately.

Cyber patrolling is the use of the internet by law enforcement agencies to detect and prevent cybercrime.

It involves searching for harmful and illegal information on the internet.

"Cyber patrolling can help prevent cybercrimes in their early stages and ensure a safer cyberspace. To take proactive action to curb the menace of Cybercrimes, the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing has formed a Cyber Patrolling team to monitor fraudulent activities in cyberspace including social media and messaging platforms, " an official release stated.

The reported website (https://infaulwnmx.cyou/) identified by the team has an inbuilt setting to appear fullscreen with a voiceover at the back saying, "Your computer has been blocked because you have seen some pornographic contents".

They cheat the public by displaying a fine of INR 30290 with IPC Sections and make them pay using credit cards and capture those details which are later used to swindle the money.

Police warned internet users about the importance of verifying the legitimacy of the URLs, especially when financial transactions are involved.

Another scam, which is prevailing currently is the India Post scam in which a SMS is sent to public stating that "we are unable to deliver your parcel and click on the below link to re-attempt delivery".

The website demands Rs 25 as a re-attempt fee and collects card details in the backend which may then be used to swindle money.