#FactCheck - Viral Video Misleadingly Tied to Recent Taiwan Earthquake

Executive Summary

A misleading  advertisement circulating in social media providing attractive offers like iPhone15, AirPods and Smartwatches from the Indian e-commerce platform ‘Myntra’. This “Myntra - Festival Gifts” scam aims to attract the unsuspecting users into a series of redirects and fake interactions to compromise their personal information and devices. It is important to stay vigilant to protect ourselves from misleading attractive offers. Through this report, the Research Wing of CyberPeace explains about a series of processes that happens when the link gets clicked. Through this knowledge, we aim to provide awareness and empower the users to guard themselves and not fall into deceptive offers that aim to scam them.   

False Claim

The widely shared WhatsApp message claims that Myntra  is offering a wide range of high-valued prizes including the latest iPhone 15, AirPods, various smartwatches among all as a Festival Gift promotion. The campaign invites the users to click on the link provided and take a short quiz to be eligible for the prize.

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The Deceptive Scheme

• The link in the social media post is tailored to work only on mobile devices, users are taken through a chain of redirects.
• Users are greeted with the Myntra's "Big Fashion Festival" branding accompanied by Myntra’s logo once they reach the landing page, which gives an impression of authenticity.
• Next, a simple quiz asks basic questions about the user's shopping experience with Myntra, their age, and gender.
• On the bottom of the quiz, there is a comment section that shows the comments from users who are supposedly provided with the prizes to look real,  
• After the completion of the quiz, users are presented with a Spin-to-Win mechanism, to win the prize. 
• After winning, a congratulatory message is displayed which says that the user has won an iPhone 15.
• The final step requires the user to share the campaign over WhatsApp in order to claim the prize.

 Analyzing the Fraudulent Campaign 

• The use of Myntra's branding and the promise of exclusive, high-value prizes are designed to attract  users' interest.
• The fake comments and social proof elements aim to create a false sense of legitimacy and widespread participation, making the offer seem more credible.
• The series of redirects, quizzes, and Spin-to-Win mechanics are tactics to keep users engaged and increase the likelihood of them falling for the scam.
• The final step of sharing the post on WhatsApp is a way for the scammers to further spread the campaign and compromise more victims. Through sharing the link over WhatsApp, users become unaware accomplices that are simply assisting the scammers to reach an even bigger audience and hence their popularity.

• The primary objectives of such scams are to gather users' personal information and potentially gain access to their devices. By luring users with the promise of exclusive gifts and creating a false sense of legitimacy, the scammers aim to exploit user trust and compromise their data, leading to potential identity theft, financial fraud, or the installation of potentially unwanted softwares.
• We have also cross-checked and as of now there is no well established and credible source or any official notification that has confirmed such an offer advertised by Myntra.
• Domain Analysis: If we closely look at the viral message, it is clearly visible that the scammers mentioned myntra.com in the url. However, the actual url takes the user to a different domain as the campaign is hosted on a third party domain instead of the official Website of Myntra, this raised suspicion. This is the common way to deceive users into falling for a Phishing scam. Whois information reveals that the domain has been registered not long ago i.e on 8th April 2024, just a few days back. Cybercriminals used Cloudflare technology to mask the actual IP address of the fraudulent website.

• Domain Name: MYTNRA.CYOU
• Registry Domain ID: D445770144-CNIC
• Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.hkdns.hk
• Registrar URL: http://www.hkdns.hk
• Updated Date: 2024-04-08T03:27:58.0Z
• Creation Date: 2024-04-08T02:58:14.0Z
• Registry Expiry Date: 2025-04-08T23:59:59.0Z
• Registrar: West263 International Limited
• Registrant State/Province: Delhi
• Registrant Country: IN
• Name Server: NORMAN.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
• Name Server: PAM.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM

‍CyberPeace Advisory and Best Practices‍

• Do not open those messages received from social platforms in which you think that such messages are suspicious or unsolicited. In the beginning, your own discretion can become your best weapon.
• Falling prey to such scams could compromise your entire system, potentially granting unauthorized access to your microphone, camera, text messages, contacts, pictures, videos, banking applications, and more. Keep your cyber world safe against any attacks.
• Never, in any case, reveal such sensitive data as your login credentials and banking details to entities you haven't validated as reliable ones.
• Before sharing any content or clicking on links within messages, always verify the legitimacy of the source. Protect not only yourself but also those in your digital circle.
• For the sake of the truthfulness of offers and messages, find the official sources and companies directly. Verify the authenticity of alluring offers before taking any action.

Conclusion:

The “Myntra - Festival Gift” scam is a kind of manipulation in which the fraudsters exploit the trust of the users and take advantage of a popular e-commerce website. It is equally crucial to equip the users by imparting them knowledge on fraudulent behavior tactics like impersonating brands, creating fake social proof and application of different engagement strategies. We are required to remain alert and stand firm against cyber attacks. Be careful, make sure that information is verified and share awareness to help make a safe online environment for all users.

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Introduction

The Pahalgam terror attack, which took place on April 22, 2025, was a tragic incident that shook the nation. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally took over the Pahalgam terrorist attack case on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Following India's strikes on Pakistan, tensions between the two countries have heightened, leading to concerns about potential escalation, including the risk of cyber attacks and the spread of misinformation that could further complicate the situation.  It is crucial for corporations, critical sectors, and all netizens in India to stay proactive and vigilant against cyber attacks, while also being cautious of the risks of misinformation. This includes protecting themselves from being affected and avoiding the inadvertent or deliberate spread of false information.

Be Careful with the Information You Consume and Share

It is crucial to note that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has alerted citizens to stay cautious of fake narratives being circulated by Pakistani handles. Through an official fact check, PIB debunked several misleading claims aimed at undermining India’s internal stability and security forces. Citizens are urged to verify any suspicious content via PIB Fact Check before sharing it further. As social media becomes a hub for viral content, netizens must be cautious about the information they consume and share. Misleading information, old videos, false claims, and misinformation flood the platform, making it essential to be mindful of the content you consume and share, as spreading unverified content can have severe consequences.

CyberPeace Recommends Following Crucial Cyber Safety Tips to Stay Vigilant Against Potential Digital Threats:

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• Do not open/download any video file you receive in social media groups or from unknown sources.
• As per several media reports, a video file named "Dance of the Hilary" is being circulated, which may be intended for a cyber attack on India. Please refrain from clicking, downloading, or sharing any such file. Additionally, there are reports of suspicious files circulating on WhatsApp, including tasksche.exe, OperationSindoor.ppt, and OperationSindhu.pptx. Do not download or open any of these files, as they may pose a serious cyber threat. 
• To receive accurate alerts, you can enable government notifications on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Notifications and scroll down to Government Alerts. Make sure all the toggles under Government Alerts are turned on. This will allow you to receive timely information and important alerts from government agencies, and your device will display critical notifications to keep you informed and safe.
• Turn off automatic media download in WhatsApp to reduce the risk of downloading potentially harmful files.
• To protect your privacy, disable location services on apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and X unless absolutely necessary.
• Refrain from sharing sensitive information like government data, confidential details, or personal records on unsecured devices or networks.
• To avoid misinformation and manipulation during conflict, verifying and cross-checking the news before sharing it with anyone is crucial. Stay updated with official news updates, and be cautious while sharing information.

Conclusion

In times of heightened tensions, all of us need to stay vigilant, protect our digital spaces, and verify the information we encounter. Together, we can safeguard ourselves from cyber threats and misinformation, ensuring the safety, stability, and digital security of our nation. As proud citizens, let us unite to protect both our physical and digital well-being.

References

• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pakistan-has-unleashed-propaganda-machine-in-response-to-successful-operation-sindoor-ib-ministry/article69549084.ece
• https://sambadenglish.com/national-international-news/india/centre-asks-people-to-stay-alert-against-misinformation-in-social-media-9048169
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLHo_Vd1_H0&t=19s

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Introduction

Bumble’s launch of its ‘Opening Move’ feature has sparked a new narrative on safety and privacy within the digital dating sphere and has garnered mixed reactions from users. It was launched against the backdrop of women stating that the ‘message first’ policy of Bumble was proving to be tedious. Addressing the large-scale review, Bumble launched its ‘Opening Move’ feature, whereby users can either craft or select from pre-set questions which potential matches may choose to answer to start the conversation at first glance. These questions are a segue into meaningful and insightful conversation from the get-go and overstep the traditional effort to start engaging chats between matched users. This feature is an optional feature that users may enable and as such does not prevent a user from exercising the autonomy previously in place.

Innovative Approach to Conversation Starters

Many users consider this feature as innovative; not only does it act as a catalyst for fluid conversation but also cultivates insightful dialogue, fostering meaningful interactions that are devoid of the constraint of superficial small talk. The ‘Opening Moves’ feature may also be aligned with unique scientific research indicating that individuals form their initial attractions within 3-seconds of intimate interaction, thereby proving to be a catalyst to the decision-making process of an individual in the attraction time frame. 

Organizational Benefits and Data Insights

From an organisational standpoint, the feature is a unique solution towards localisation challenges faced by apps; the option of writing a personalised ‘Opening Move’ implies setting prompts that are culturally relevant and appropriate in a specific area. Moreover, it is anticipated that Bumble may enhance and improve user experience within the platform through data analysis. Data from responses to an ‘Opening Move’ may provide valuable insights into user preferences and patterns by analysing which pre-set prompts garner more responses over others and how often is a user-written ‘Opening Move’ successful in obtaining a response in comparison with Bumble’s pre-set prompts. A quick glance at Bumble’s privacy policy[1] shows that data storing and transferring of chats between users are not shared with third parties, further safeguarding personal privacy. However,  Bumble does use the chat data for its own internal purposes after removing personally identifiable information from chats. The manner of such review and removal of data has not been specified, which may raise challenges depending upon whether the reviewer is a human or an algorithm.

However, some users perceive the feature as counterproductive to the company’s principle of ‘women make the first move’. While Bumble aims to market the feature as a neutral ground for matched users based on the exercise of choice, users see it as a step back into the heteronormative gender expectations that most dating apps conform to, putting the onus of the ‘first move’ on men. Many male users have complained that the feature acts as a catalyst for men to opt out of the dating app and would most likely refrain from interacting with profiles enabled with the ‘Opening Move’ feature, since the pressure to answer in a creative manner is disproportionate with the likelihood their response actually being entertained.[2] Coupled with the female users terming the original protocol as ‘too much effort’, the preset questions of the ‘Opening Move’ feature may actively invite users to categorise potential matches according to arbitrary questions that undermine real-life experiences, perspectives and backgrounds of each individual.[3]

Additionally, complications are likely to arise when a notorious user sets a question that indirectly gleans personal or sensitive, identifiable information. The individual responding may be bullied or be subjected to hateful slurs when they respond to such carefully crafted conversation prompts.

Safety and Privacy Concerns

On the corollary, the appearance of choice may translate into more challenges for women on the platform. The feature may spark an increase in the number of unsolicited, undesirable messages and images from a potential match. The most vulnerable groups at present remain individuals who identify as females and other sexual minorities.[4] At present, there appears to be no mechanism in place to proactively monitor the content of responses, relying instead on user reporting. This approach may prove to be impractical given the potential volume of objectionable messages, necessitating a more efficient solution to address this issue. It is to be noted that in spite of a user reporting, the current redressal systems of online platforms remain lax, largely inadequate and demonstrate ineffectiveness in addressing user concerns or grievances. This lack of proactiveness is violative of the right to redressal provided under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. It is thought that the feature may actually take away user autonomy that Bumble originally aimed to grant since Individuals who identify as introverted, shy, soft-spoken, or non-assertive may refrain from reporting harassing messages altogether, potentially due to discomfort or reluctance to engage in confrontation. Resultantly, it is anticipated that there would be a sharp uptake in cases pertaining to cyberbullying, harassment and hate speech (especially vulgar communications) towards both the user and the potential match. 

From an Indian legal perspective, dating apps have to adhere to the Information Technology Act, 2000 [5], the Information Technology (Intermediary and Digital Media Ethics) Rules 2021 [6] and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, that regulates a person’s digital privacy and set standards on the kind of content an intermediary may host. An obligation is cast upon an intermediary to uprise its users on what content is not allowed on its platform in addition to mandating intimation of the user’s digital rights. The lack of automated checks, as mentioned above, is likely to make Bumble non-compliant with the ethical guidelines. 

The optional nature of the ‘Opening Move’ grants users some autonomy. However, some technical updates may enhance the user experience of this feature. Technologies like AI are an effective aid in behavioural and predictive analysis. An upgraded ‘matching’ algorithm can analyse the number of un-matches a profile receives, thereby identifying and flagging a profile having multiple lapsed matches. Additionally, the design interface of the application bearing a filter option to filter out flagged profiles would enable a user to be cautious while navigating through the matches. Another possible method of weeding out notorious profiles is by deploying a peer-review system of profiles whereby a user has a singular check-box that enables them to flag a profile. Such a checkbox would ideally be devoid of any option for writing personal comments and would bear a check box stating whether the profile is most or least likely to bully/harass. This would ensure that a binary, precise response is recorded and any coloured remarks are avoided. [7]

Governance and Monitoring Mechanisms

From a governance point of view, a monitoring mechanism on the manner of crafting questions is critical. Systems should be designed to detect certain words/sentences and a specific manner of framing sentences to disallow questions contrary to the national legal framework. An onscreen notification having instructions on generally acceptable manner of conversations as a reminder to users to maintain cyber hygiene while conversing is also proposed as a mandated requirement for platforms. The notification/notice may also include guidelines on what information is safe to share in order to safeguard user privacy. Lastly, a revised privacy policy should establish the legal basis for processing responses to ‘Opening Moves’, thereby bringing it in compliance with national legislations such as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Conclusion

Bumble's 'Opening Move' feature marks the company’s ‘statement’ step to address user concerns regarding initiating conversations on the platform. While it has been praised for fostering more meaningful interactions, it also raises not only ethical concerns but also concerns over user safety. While the 'Opening Move' feature can potentially enhance user experience, its success is largely dependent on Bumble's ability to effectively navigate the complex issues associated with this feature. A more robust monitoring mechanism that utilises newer technology is critical to address user concerns and to ensure compliance with national laws on data privacy.

Endnotes:

• [1] Bumble’s privacy policy https://bumble.com/en-us/privacy  
• [2] Discussion thread, r/bumble, Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Bumble/comments/1cgrs0d/women_on_bumble_no_longer_have_to_make_the_first/?share_id=idm6DK7e0lgkD7ZQ2TiTq&utm_content=2&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1&rdt=65068 
• [3] Mcrea-Hedley, Olivia, “Love on the Apps: When did Dating Become so Political?”, 8 February 2024 https://www.service95.com/the-politics-of-dating-apps/ 
• [4] Gewirtz-Meydan, A., Volman-Pampanel, D., Opuda, E., & Tarshish, N. (2024). ‘Dating Apps: A New Emerging Platform for Sexual Harassment? A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(1), 752-763. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231162969 
• [5]  Information Technology Act, 2000 https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/13116/1/it_act_2000_updated.pdf 
• [6]  Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics) Rules 2021 https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Information%20Technology%20%28Intermediary%20Guidelines%20and%20Digital%20Media%20Ethics%20Code%29%20Rules%2C%202021%20%28updated%2006.04.2023%29-.pdf 
• [7]  Date Confidently: Engaging Features in a Dating App (Use Cases), Consaguous, 10 July 2023 https://www.consagous.co/blog/date-confidently-engaging-features-in-a-dating-app-use-cases  

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