#FactCheck -Old 2016 Madame Tussauds Wax Statue Video Misrepresented as PM Modi Being “Made Up” by Team

Introduction

Meta is the leader in social media platforms and has been successful in having a widespread network of users and services across global cyberspace. The corporate house has been responsible for revolutionizing messaging and connectivity since 2004. The platform has brought people closer together in terms of connectivity, however, being one of the most popular platforms is an issue as well. Popular platforms are mostly used by cyber criminals to gain unauthorised data or create chatrooms to maintain anonymity and prevent tracking. These bad actors often operate under fake names or accounts so that they are not caught. The platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been often in the headlines as portals where cybercriminals were operating and committing crimes.

To keep the data of the netizen safe and secure Paytm under first of its kind service is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption.

Meta’s Cybersecurity

Meta has one of the best cyber security in the world but that diest mean that it cannot be breached. The social media giant is the most vulnerable platform in cases of data breaches as various third parties are also involved. As seen the in the case of Cambridge Analytica, a huge chunk of user data was available to influence the users in terms of elections. Meta needs to be ahead of the curve to have a safe and secure platform, for this Meta has deployed various AI and ML driven crawlers and software which work o keeping the platform safe for its users and simultaneously figure out which accounts may be used by bad actors and further removes the criminal accounts. The same is also supported by the keen participation of the user in terms of the reporting mechanism. Meta-Cyber provides visibility of all OT activities, observes continuously the PLC and SCADA for changes and configuration, and checks the authorization and its levels. Meta is also running various penetration and bug bounty programs to reduce vulnerabilities in their systems and applications, these testers are paid heavily depending upon the scope of the vulnerability they found.

‍CyberRoot Risk Investigation

Social media giant Meta has taken down over 40 accounts operated by an Indian firm CyberRoot Risk Analysis, allegedly involved in hack-for-hire services along with this Meta has taken down 900 fraudulently run accounts, these accounts are said to be operated from China by an unknown entity. CyberRoot Risk Analysis was responsible for sharing malware over the platform and used it to impersonate themselves just as their targets, i.e lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, and industries like – cosmetic surgery, real estate, investment firms, pharmaceutical, private equity firms, and environmental and anti-corruption activists. They would get in touch with such personalities and then share malware hidden in files which would often lead to data breaches subsequently leading to different types of cybercrimes.

Meta and its team is working tirelessly to eradicate the influence of such bad actors from their platforms, use of AI and Ml based tools have increased exponentially.

‍Paytm CyberFraud Cover

Paytm is offering customers protection against cyber fraud through an insurance policy available for fraudulent mobile transactions up to Rs 10,000 for a premium of Rs 30. The cover ‘Paytm Payment Protect’ is provided through a group insurance policy issued by HDFC Ergo. The company said that the plan is being offered to increase the trust in digital payments, which will push up adoption. The insurance cover protects transactions made through UPI across all apps and wallets. The insurance coverage has been obtained by One97 Communications, which operates under the Paytm brand.

The exponential increase in the use of digital payments during the pandemic has made more people susceptible to cyber fraud. While UPI has all the digital safeguards in place, most UPI-related frauds are undertaken by confidence tricksters who get their victims to authorise a transaction by passing collect requests as payments. There are also many fraudsters collecting payments by pretending to be merchants. These types of frauds have resulted in a loss of more than Rs 63 crores in the previous financial year. The issue of data insurance is new to India but is indeed the need of the hour, majority of netizens are unaware of the value of their data and hence remain ignorant towards data protection, such steps will result in safer data management and protection mechanisms, thus safeguarding the Indian cyberspace.

Conclusion

cyberspace is at a critical juncture in terms of data protection and privacy, with new legislation coming out on the same we can expect new and stronger policies to prevent cybercrimes and cyber-attacks. The efforts by tech giants like Meta need to gain more speed in terms of the efficiency of cyber safety of the platform and the user to make sure that the future of the platforms remains secured strongly. The concept of data insurance needs to be shared with netizens to increase awareness about the subject. The initiative by Paytm will be a monumental initiative as this will encourage more platforms and banks to commit towards coverage for cyber crimes. With the increasing cases of cybercrimes, such financial coverage has come as a light of hope and security for the netizens.

Introduction

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a consultation paper titled “Encouraging Innovative Technologies, Services, Use Cases, and Business Models through Regulatory Sandbox in Digital Communication Sector. The paper presents a draft sandbox structure for live testing of new digital communication products or services in a regulated environment. TRAI seeks comments from stakeholders on several parts of the framework.

What is digital communication?

Digital communication is the use of internet tools such as email, social media messaging, and texting to communicate with other people or a specific audience. Even something as easy as viewing the content on this webpage qualifies as digital communication.

Aim of Paper

• Frameworks are intended to support regulators’ desire for innovation while also ensuring economic resilience and consumer protection. Considering this, the Department of Telecom (DoT) asked TRAI to offer recommendations on a regulatory sandbox framework. TRAI approaches the issue with the goal of encouraging creativity and hastening the adoption of cutting-edge digital communications technologies.
• Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, edge computing, and other emerging technologies are revolutionizing how we connect, communicate, and access information, driving the digital communication sector to rapidly expand. To keep up with this dynamic environment, an enabling environment for the development and deployment of novel technologies, services, use cases, and business models is required.
• The regulatory sandbox concept is becoming increasingly popular around the world as a means of encouraging innovation in a range of industries. A regulatory sandbox is a regulated environment in which businesses and innovators can test their concepts, commodities, and services while operating under changing restrictions.
• Regulatory Sandbox will benefit the telecom startup ecosystem by providing access to a real-time network environment and other data, allowing them to evaluate the reliability of new applications before releasing them to the market. Regulatory Sandbox also attempts to stimulate cross-sectoral collaboration for carrying out such testing by engaging the assistance of other ministries and departments in order to give the starting company with a single window for acquiring all clearances.

What is regulatory sandbox?

• A regulatory sandbox is a controlled regulatory environment in which new products or services are tested in real-time.
• It serves as a “safe space” for businesses because authorities may or may not allow certain relaxations for the sole purpose of testing.
• The sandbox enables the regulator, innovators, financial service providers, and clients to perform field testing in order to gather evidence on the benefits and hazards of new financial innovations, while closely monitoring and mitigating their risks.

What are the advantages of having a regulatory sandbox?

• Firstly, regulators obtain first-hand empirical evidence on the benefits and risks of emerging technologies and their implications, allowing them to form an informed opinion on the regulatory changes or new regulations that may be required to support useful innovation while mitigating the associated risks.
• Second, sandbox customers can evaluate the viability of a product without the need for a wider and more expensive roll-out. If the product appears to have a high chance of success, it may be authorized and delivered to a wider market more quickly.

Digital communication sector and Regulatory Sandbox

• Many countries’ regulatory organizations have built sandbox settings for telecom tech innovation.
• These frameworks are intended to encourage regulators’ desire for innovation while also promoting economic resilience and consumer protection.
• In this context, the Department of Telecom (DoT) had asked TRAI to give recommendations on a regulatory sandbox framework.
• Written comments on the drafting framework will be received until July 17, 2023, and counter-comments will be taken until August 1, 2023. The Authority’s goal in the digital communication industry is to foster creativity and expedite the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing. These technologies are changing the way individuals connect, engage, and access information, causing rapid changes in the industry.

Conclusion

According to TRAI, these technologies are changing how individuals connect, engage, and obtain information, resulting in significant changes in the sector.

The regulatory sandbox also wants to stimulate cross-sectoral collaboration for carrying out such testing by engaging the assistance of other ministries and departments in order to give the starting company with a single window for acquiring all clearances. The consultation paper covers some of the worldwide regulatory sandbox frameworks in use in the digital communication industry, as well as some of the frameworks in use inside the country in other sectors.

Introduction

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In the sprawling and ever-evolving landscape of cybercrime, phishing links, phoney emails, and dubious investment offers are no longer the only tools used by scammers. Cybercriminals are becoming skilled at taking advantage of commonplace digital behaviours, undermining confidence, and turning popular features of our most essential apps into weapons. A fast expanding international threat has been revealed by the National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre(I4C)’s most recent advisory on “WhatsApp account renting”. This scam uses QR codes to trick users into connecting their WhatsApp accounts to fraudulent sites under the guise of a “quick income” opportunity. What initially appears innocuous turns into a tool for thieves to take control of accounts and use them for illicit purposes. 

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The Global Rise of Cyber Mule Networks

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Initially the word “mule” in cybercrime networks referred to a bank account used, knowingly often unknowingly, to transfer or “launder” money obtained from fraud and illegal activities. In light of the evolving nature of this cybercrime, Cyber mules in the present scenario can be referred to as, individuals who knowingly or unknowingly allow their digital identities, devices, or bank accounts to be used for illegal activity. 

Various cybersecurity companies as well as Europol and Interpol, have frequently cautioned that hackers are increasingly using digital mule recruiting, which frequently takes the form of the following:

• Work-from-home Offers
• Streams of passive income
• Monetisation of social media
• Roles for verification assistants 
• Apps that earn commissions

Earlier versions involved money transfers through personal bank accounts . Criminals now want your digital identity rather than just your money, as the trend has been reported to be changing. 

Scammers frequently “rent” victims’ Facebook, LINE, Telegram, and WeChat accounts in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa in order to conduct impersonation frauds or assist with criminal operations. The WhatsApp variant that is making its way to India is a logical progression, although it comes only with the widely used WhatsApp Web linked-device capability. 

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How the WhatsApp Account Renting Scam Works

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I4C’s advisory dated 15th October, 2025, highlights a sophisticated yet psychologically simple scheme that exploits trust, curiosity, and the illusion of easy income.The scam’s lifetime is as follows:

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‍1. The Hook: “Automatically Earn Passive Income”

Threat actors claim users can earn daily rewards by connecting their WhatsApp accounts to a new “partner platform” in their polished and professional Instagram and Facebook ads.

This strategy imitates international scam factories in Cambodia and Myanmar, where victims are lured into investment schemes or bogus tasks by social media advertisements.

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2.The Redirect: Rogue APKs & Fake Websites

When victims click on the advertisement, they are sent to

• Fake dashboards for earnings 
• Untrustworthy websites that imitate authentic financial interfaces
• Instructions for installing Android APKs from sources other than the Play Store
• These APKs often carry spyware or remote-access malware.

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3.The Trap: Scanning a QR Code

The user is asked to scan a QR code through WhatsApp’s “Linked Devices” feature, which is normally used for WhatsApp Web.

Without ever touching the victim’s phone, the con artist obtains complete session access to their WhatsApp account as soon as the QR is scanned.

Threat actors are able to:

• Transmit and receive messages
• Get access to contact lists 
• Participate in or start groups 
• Assume the victim’s identity
• Conduct frauds using their identities

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4.The Illusion: A Multi-Level Commission Structure

A pyramid-style earnings model is displayed to maintain credibility:

• 10% off direct invites
• 5% of secondary invites
• 2% of tertiary invitations

These figures are designed to encourage victims to recruit more users, increasing the number of compromised WhatsApp accounts.

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5.The Misuse: “Mule WhatsApp accounts”

The victim’s account becomes a digital mule once it is connected, allowing fraudsters to:

• Start UPI fraud and phishing
• Distribute harmful links
• Impersonate the victim to scam their contacts
• Participate in bulk messaging campaigns
• Get additional mule accounts

Precautions Issued by I4C

I4C has advised citizens to take the following precautions:

• You could face criminal charges or similar consequences if you carelessly rent or link your WhatsApp account for money
• Installing APKs from non-official app shops should be avoided
• Advertisements that promise automatic revenue, referral bonuses, or passive income should be avoided.
• Regularly check linked devices on WhatsApp: Settings → Linked Devices
• Use WhatsApp’s Official support page to report hacked accounts or impersonation: https://www.whatsapp.com/contact/forms/1534459096974129 
• Report financial fraud immediately by calling 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in 

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CyberPeace Outlook

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The WhatsApp account rental fraud is not an isolated phenomenon; rather, it is the latest mutation of a global cybercrime apparatus that feeds on social engineering, digital identity theft, and international mule networks. Its simplicity, all it takes to take over your digital life is a QR code scan, makes it especially hazardous. I4C’s timely warning serves as an important reminder that easy money is nearly always a trap in the digital world and that, if we let our guard down, our most reliable platforms can become attack surfaces. Stay informed, and stay safe. In order to protect our identities, data, and communities, cyber hygiene is now a must.  

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References 

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• https://www.cnbctv18.com/personal-finance/mule-account-fraud-on-the-rise-what-it-is-and-how-to-shttps://i4c.mha.gov.in/theme/resources/advisories/Mule%20Whatsapp%20V1.4.pdftay-safe-19662507.htm 
• https://i4c.mha.gov.in/theme/resources/advisories/Mule%20Whatsapp%20V1.4.pdf 

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