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WhatsApp video scam targets Sri Lankans; victims blackmailed for ransom
Several complaints have been lodged with the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) in recent days over a new WhatsApp-based video scam that has reportedly targeted Sri Lankans, with ...
WhatsApp bans over 9,400 scam-linked accounts amid crackdown on digital ...
On legal aspects, the government has sought directions for expediting examination of provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for cyber fraud cases and framing of necessary rules. Representative image WhatsApp may block device IDs to curb digital arrest scams.Centre urges joint action by banks, telecom firms, and agenciesExperts warn of risks with biometric systems and debit holds.Did our AI summary help? The Centre has informed the Supreme Court of India that WhatsApp is examining the feasibility of blocking device IDs linked to digital arrest scams, in a move aimed at tightening enforcement against fraud networks that frequently switch accounts and SIM cards.The update forms part of a detailed status report filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is scheduled to be taken up on May 12 by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The report outlines a broader push by the Centre to create a coordinated national response involving banks, telecom regulators and investigative agencies.The proposal to block devices seeks to address a key loophole where fraudsters continue operations by cycling through multiple numbers while using the same handset.Alongside this, the platform has also agreed to consider retaining data of deleted accounts for at least 180 days, in line with the Information Technology Rules, to help investigators track digital trails in cases where accounts are quickly removed after fraud.The Centre told the court that more than 9,400 accounts linked to such scams were blocked over a 12-week period starting January, based on inputs from agencies including I4C, MeitY and the Department of Telecommunications.Investigations by the platform found that many of these accounts were tied to organised scam operations in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, with impersonation tactics involving names such as “Delhi Police”, “CBI” and “ATS Department”.To counter this, WhatsApp has introduced measures such as logo matching to detect impersonation, monitoring of display names and use of large language models to identify evolving scam patterns.It has also rolled out user-facing features like alerts for suspicious first-time messages, visibility of account age and limiting profile photo access in high-risk interactions. The Centre said these interventions are expected to bring about a “material and observable decline” in such frauds.At the same time, the government has indicated that these safeguards may need to be extended across p...
Federal Agent Claims WhatsApp Encryption Is A Scam - Gadget Review
Federal investigation found Meta can read WhatsApp messages despite encryption claims, then probe was mysteriously shut down by senior officials.
CERT warns of online scams, frauds - lankatalks.com
Cites promotion of fake offers The Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) yesterday (7) issued a public warning regarding a significant increase in online scams and financial fraud attempts circulating across social media platforms during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festive season. The CERT has observed that cybercriminals are actively exploiting the festive period when online engagement ...

