Parents Beware: The Alarming Trend of Impersonation Scams Involving Fake Officers
Executive Summary:
The rise in cybercrime targeting vulnerable individuals, particularly students and their families, has reached alarming levels. Impersonation scams, where fraudsters pose as Law Enforcement Officers, have become increasingly sophisticated, exploiting fear, urgency, and social stigma. This report delves into recent incidents of ransom scams involving fake CBI officers, highlighting the execution methods, psychological impact on victims, and preventive measures. The goal is to raise public awareness and equip individuals with the knowledge needed to protect themselves from such fraudulent activities.
Introduction:
Cybercriminals are evolving their tactics, with impersonation and social engineering at the forefront. Scams involving fake law enforcement officers have become rampant, preying on the fear of legal repercussions and the desire to protect loved ones. This report examines incidents where scammers impersonated CBI officers to extort money from families of students, emphasizing the urgent need for awareness, verification, and preventive measures.
Case Study:
This case study explains how the scammers impersonate themselves for the money targeting students' families.
Targets receive calls from scammers posing as CBI officers. Mostly the families of students are targeted by the fraudsters using sophisticated impersonation and emotional manipulation tactics. In our case study, the targets received calls from unknown international numbers, falsely claiming that the students, along with their friends, were involved in a fabricated rape case. The parents get calls during school or college hours, a time when it is particularly difficult and chaotic for parents to reach their children, adding to the panic and sense of urgency. The scammers manipulate the parents by stating that, due to the students' clean records, they are not officially arrested but would face severe legal consequences unless a sum of money is paid immediately.
Although in these specific cases, the parents did not pay the money, many parents in our country fall victim to such scams, paying large sums out of fear and desperation to protect their children’s futures. The fear of legal repercussions, social stigma, and the potential damage to the students' reputations, the scammers used high-pressure tactics to force compliance.
These incidents may result in significant financial losses, emotional trauma, and a profound loss of trust in communication channels and authorities. This underscores the urgent need for awareness, verification of authority, and prompt reporting of such scams to prevent further victimisation
Modus Operandi:
- Caller ID Spoofing: The scammer used a unknown number and spoofing techniques to mimic a legitimate law enforcement authority.
- Fear Induction: The fraudster played on the family's fear of social stigma, manipulating them into compliance through emotional blackmail.
Analysis:
Our research found that the unknown international numbers used in these scams are not real but are puppet numbers often used for prank calls and fraudulent activities. This incident also raises concerns about data breaches, as the scammers accurately recited students' details, including names and their parents' information, adding a layer of credibility and increasing the pressure on the victims. These incidents result in significant financial losses, emotional trauma, and a profound loss of trust in communication channels and authorities.
Impact on Victims:
- Financial and Psychological Losses: The family may face substantial financial losses, coupled with emotional and psychological distress.
- Loss of Trust in Authorities: Such scams undermine trust in official communication and law enforcement channels.
- Exploitation of Fear and Urgency: Scammers prey on emotions such as fear, urgency, and social stigma to manipulate victims.
- Sophisticated Impersonation Techniques: Using caller ID spoofing, Virtual/Temporary numbers and impersonation of Law Enforcement Officers adds credibility to the scam.
- Lack of Verification: Victims often do not verify the caller's identity, leading to successful scams.
- Significant Psychological Impact: Beyond financial losses, these scams cause lasting emotional trauma and distrust in institutions.
Recommendations:
- Cross-Verification: Always cross-verify with official sources before acting on such claims. Always contact official numbers listed on trusted Government websites to verify any claims made by callers posing as law enforcement.
- Promote Awareness: Educational institutions should conduct regular awareness programs to help students and families recognize and respond to scams.
- Encourage Prompt Reporting: Reporting such incidents to authorities can help track scammers and prevent future cases. Encourage victims to report incidents promptly to local authorities and cybercrime units.
- Enhance Public Awareness: Continuous public awareness campaigns are essential to educate people about the risks and signs of impersonation scams.
- Educational Outreach: Schools and colleges should include Cybersecurity awareness as part of their curriculum, focusing on identifying and responding to scams.
- Parental Guidance and Support: Parents should be encouraged to discuss online safety and scam tactics with their children regularly, fostering a vigilant mindset.
Conclusion:
The rise of impersonation scams targeting students and their families is a growing concern that demands immediate attention. By raising awareness, encouraging verification of claims, and promoting proactive reporting, we can protect vulnerable individuals from falling victim to these manipulative and harmful tactics. It is high time for the authorities, educational institutions, and the public to collaborate in combating these scams and safeguarding our communities. Strengthening data protection measures and enhancing public education on the importance of verifying claims can significantly reduce the impact of these fraudulent schemes and prevent further victimisation.
Related Blogs
Introduction
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released draft plans for advancing indigenous research and development in cyber forensics, quantum computing technologies, mobile security, cryptography, and Internet of Things (IoT) security. These roadmaps, crafted by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, outline strategic approaches to address various challenges over different timeframes leading up to 2047, marking the centenary of Indian independence. These roadmaps provide valuable insights into the nation's commitment to achieving technical autonomy and bolstering resilience in critical areas of cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Cybersecurity Roadmap
The cybersecurity strategy serves as a lighthouse for strengthening India's digital defenses. With an eye on the immediate future, the plan seeks to create "Social Media Analytics" by 2026, reflecting the rising relevance of extracting insights from the immense ocean of social media data. Furthermore, the emphasis on "Dark Web Forensics" by 2030 demonstrates an understanding of the shifting danger scenario. Ongoing attempts to detect child abuse and human trafficking reflect a dedication to using technology to address social concerns. The timescale beyond 2047 underscores the lasting nature of these difficulties and the necessity for ongoing innovation. Furthermore, the roadmap highlights plans for GPS and car forensics by 2027 and 2029, respectively, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity that spans numerous technologies.
India's quantum computing strategy outlines considerable research and development plans till 2034. Quantum computing represents the boundary of processing power, and India intends to make major progress in this area. The extended time scale reflects the inherent complexity and limitations of applying quantum physics to practical applications.
The Mobile Security Roadmap prioritises "enterprise-grade" security measures to protect critical business and government data. Furthermore, the plan emphasises the importance of an "indigenous system for secure [operating systems] and mobile device hardware," allowing India to lessen its reliance on foreign technology in the mobile ecosystem.
Cryptography Roadmap
Cryptography is the foundation of secure digital communication, and India's strategy for this sector outlines specific and time-bound objectives. The focus on 'asymmetric cryptography' and safeguarding IoT devices by 2028-33 is consistent with worldwide initiatives to improve digital security. The emphasis on "quantum-resistant cryptography," which indicates a forward-thinking approach to encryption technologies that may endure the arrival of quantum computing, which poses a possible danger to current cryptographic systems, is particularly noteworthy.
Challenges and opportunities
While these roadmaps set a visionary route for India's technologically advanced future, such ambitious undertakings bring both problems and possibilities. The intricacy of quantum computing, as well as the ever-changing nature of cyber threats, needs ongoing adaptation and engagement with the international academic community. Furthermore, establishing self-sufficiency in vital technologies necessitates significant research, development, and talent acquisition investments.
Collaboration and Global Perspectives
In an interconnected society, the success of these roadmaps is dependent on collaboration with the global community. The sharing of information, best practices, and joint research efforts can help India advance and strengthen its capacities in these transformational technologies. Building strong international collaborations would not only boost India's position but also help to progress science and technology throughout the world.
Conclusion
India's proposed roadmaps for cybersecurity, quantum computing, mobile security, encryption, and IoT security offer a strategic and forward-thinking outlook on the country's technological future. These roadmaps, which continue well beyond 2047, the centennial of Indian independence, demonstrate India's commitment to long-term resilience and innovation in the face of growing digital problems. The effective implementation of these roadmaps would safeguard India's digital environment and position the country as a worldwide leader in cutting-edge technology, helping to improve society and expand human understanding.
Reference:
Executive Summary:
A new threat being uncovered in today’s threat landscape is that while threat actors took an average of one hour and seven minutes to leverage Proof-of-Concept(PoC) exploits after they went public, now the time is at a record low of 22 minutes. This incredibly fast exploitation means that there is very limited time for organizations’ IT departments to address these issues and close the leaks before they are exploited. Cloudflare released the Application Security report which shows that the attack percentage is more often higher than the rate at which individuals invent and develop security countermeasures like the WAF rules and software patches. In one case, Cloudflare noted an attacker using a PoC-based attack within a mere 22 minutes from the moment it was released, leaving almost no time for a remediation window.
Despite the constant growth of vulnerabilities in various applications and systems, the share of exploited vulnerabilities, which are accompanied by some level of public exploit or PoC code, has remained relatively stable over the past several years and fluctuates around 50%. These vulnerabilities with publicly known exploit code, 41% was initially attacked in the zero-day mode while of those with no known code, 84% was first attacked in the same mode.
Modus Operandi:
The modus operandi of the attack involving the rapid weaponization of proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits is characterized by the following steps:
- Vulnerability Identification: Threat actors bring together the exploitation of a system vulnerability that may be in the software or hardware of the system; this may be a code error, design failure, or a configuration error. This is normally achieved using vulnerability scanners and test procedures that have to be performed manually.
- Vulnerability Analysis: After the vulnerability is identified, the attackers study how it operates to determine when and how it can be triggered and what consequences that action will have. This means that one needs to analyze the details of the PoC code or system to find out the connection sequence that leads to vulnerability exploitation.
- Exploit Code Development: Being aware of the weakness, the attackers develop a small program or script denoted as the PoC that addresses exclusively the identified vulnerability and manipulates it in a moderated manner. This particular code is meant to be utilized in showing a particular penalty, which could be unauthorized access or alteration of data.
- Public Disclosure and Weaponization: The PoC exploit is released which is frequently done shortly after the vulnerability has been announced to the public. This makes it easier for the attackers to exploit it while waiting for the software developer to release the patch. To illustrate, Cloudflare has spotted an attacker using the PoC-based exploit 22 minutes after the publication only.
- Attack Execution: The attackers then use the weaponized PoC exploit to attack systems which are known to be vulnerable to it. Some of the actions that are tried in this context are attempts at running remote code, unauthorized access and so on. The pace at which it happens is often much faster than the pace at which humans put in place proper security defense mechanisms, such as the WAF rules or software application fixes.
- Targeted Operations: Sometimes, they act as if it’s a planned operation, where the attackers are selective in the system or organization to attack. For example, exploitation of CVE-2022-47966 in ManageEngine software was used during the espionage subprocess, where to perform such activity, the attackers used the mentioned vulnerability to install tools and malware connected with espionage.
Precautions: Mitigation
Following are the mitigating measures against the PoC Exploits:
1. Fast Patching and New Vulnerability Handling
- Introduce proper patching procedures to address quickly the security released updates and disclosed vulnerabilities.
- Focus should be made on the patching of those vulnerabilities that are observed to be having available PoC exploits, which often risks being exploited almost immediately.
- It is necessary to frequently check for the new vulnerability disclosures and PoC releases and have a prepared incident response plan for this purpose.
2. Leverage AI-Powered Security Tools
- Employ intelligent security applications which can easily generate desirable protection rules and signatures as attackers ramp up the weaponization of PoC exploits.
- Step up use of artificial intelligence (AI) - fueled endpoint detection and response (EDR) applications to quickly detect and mitigate the attempts.
- Integrate Artificial Intelligence based SIEM tools to Detect & analyze Indicators of compromise to form faster reaction.
3. Network Segmentation and Hardening
- Use strong networking segregation to prevent the attacker’s movement across the network and also restrict the effects of successful attacks.
- Secure any that are accessible from the internet, and service or protocols such as RDP, CIFS, or Active directory.
- Limit the usage of native scripting applications as much as possible because cyber attackers may exploit them.
4. Vulnerability Disclosure and PoC Management
- Inform the vendors of the bugs and PoC exploits and make sure there is a common understanding of when they are reported, to ensure fast response and mitigation.
- It is suggested to incorporate mechanisms like digital signing and encryption for managing and distributing PoC exploits to prevent them from being accessed by unauthorized persons.
- Exploits used in PoC should be simple and independent with clear and meaningful variable and function names that help reduce time spent on triage and remediation.
5. Risk Assessment and Response to Incidents
- Maintain constant supervision of the environment with an intention of identifying signs of a compromise, as well as, attempts of exploitation.
- Support a frequent detection, analysis and fighting of threats, which use PoC exploits into the system and its components.
- Regularly communicate with security researchers and vendors to understand the existing threats and how to prevent them.
Conclusion:
The rapid process of monetization of Proof of Concept (POC) exploits is one of the most innovative and constantly expanding global threats to cybersecurity at the present moment. Cyber security experts must react quickly while applying a patch, incorporate AI to their security tools, efficiently subdivide their networks and always heed their vulnerability announcements. Stronger incident response plan would aid in handling these kinds of menaces. Hence, applying measures mentioned above, the organizations will be able to prevent the acceleration of turning PoC exploits into weapons and the probability of neutral affecting cyber attacks.
Reference:
https://www.mayrhofer.eu.org/post/vulnerability-disclosure-is-positive/
https://www.uptycs.com/blog/new-poc-exploit-backdoor-malware
https://www.balbix.com/insights/attack-vectors-and-breach-methods/
https://blog.cloudflare.com/application-security-report-2024-update
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Introduction
The scam involving "drugs in parcels' has resurfaced again with a new face. Cybercriminals impersonating and acting as FedEx, Police and various other authorities and in actuality, they are the perpetrators or bad actors behind the renewed "drugs in parcel" scam, which entails pressuring victims into sending money and divulging private information in order to escape fictitious legal repercussions.
Modus operandi
The modus operandi followed in this scam usually begins with a hacker calling someone on their cell phone posing as FedEx. They say that they are the recipients of a package under their name that includes illegal goods like jewellery, narcotics, or other items. The victim would feel afraid and apprehensive by now. Then there will be a video call with someone else who is posing as a police officer. The victim will be asked to keep the matter confidential while it is being investigated by this "fake officer."
After the call, they would get falsified paperwork from the CBI and RBI stating that an arrest warrant had been issued. Once the victim has fallen entirely under their sway, they would claim that the victim's Aadhaar has been used to carry out the unlawful conduct. They then request that the victim submit their bank account information and Aadhaar data for investigation. Subsequently, the hackers request that the victim transfer funds to a bank account for RBI validation. The victims thus submit money to the hackers believing it to be true for clearing their name.
Recent incidence:
In the most recent instance of a "drug-in-parcel" scam, an IT expert in Pune was defrauded of Rs 27.9 lakh by internet con artists acting as members of the Mumbai police's Cyber Crime Cell. The victim filed the First Information Report (FIR) in this matter at the police station. The victim stated that on November 11, 2023, the complainant received a call from a fraudster posing as a Mumbai police Cyber Crime Cell officer. The scammer falsely claimed to have discovered illegal narcotics in a package addressed to the complainant sent from Mumbai to Taiwan, along with an expired passport and an SBI card. To avoid arrest in a fabricated drug case, the fraudster coerced the complainant into providing bank account information under the guise of "verification." The victim, fearing legal consequences, transferred Rs 27,98,776 in ten online transactions to two separate bank accounts as instructed. Upon realizing the deception, the complainant reported the incident to the police, leading to an investigation.
In another such incident, the victim received an online bogus identity card from the scammers who had phoned him on the phone in October 2023. In an attempt to "clear the case" and issue a "no-objection certificate (NOC)," the fraudster persuaded the victim to wire money to a bank account, claiming to have seized narcotics in a shipment shipped from Mumbai to Thailand under his name. Fraudsters threatened to arrest the victim for mailing the narcotics package if money was not provided.
Furthermore, In August 2023, fraudsters acting as police officers and executives of courier companies defrauded a 25-year-old advertising student of Rs 53 lakh. They extorted money from her under the guise of avoiding legal action, which would include arrest, and informed her that narcotics had been discovered in a package she had delivered to Taiwan. According to the police, callers acting as police officers threatened to arrest the girl and forced her to complete up to 34 transactions totalling Rs 53.63 lakh from her and her mother's bank accounts to different bank accounts.
Measures to protect oneself from such scams
Call Verification:
- Be sure to always confirm the legitimacy of unexpected calls, particularly those purporting to be from law enforcement or delivery services. Make use of official contact information obtained from reliable sources to confirm the information presented.
Confidentiality:
- Use caution while disclosing personal information online or over the phone, particularly Aadhaar and bank account information. In general, legitimate authorities don't ask for private information in this way.
Official Documentation:
- Request official documents via the appropriate means. Make sure that any documents—such as arrest warrants or other government documents—are authentic by getting in touch with the relevant authorities.
No Haste in Transactions:
- Proceed with caution when responding hastily to requests for money or quick fixes. Creating a sense of urgency is a common tactic used by scammers to coerce victims into acting quickly.
Knowledge and Awareness:
- Remain up to date on common fraud schemes and frauds. Keep up with the most recent strategies employed by online fraudsters to prevent falling for fresh scam iterations.
Report Suspicious Activity:
- Notify the local police or other appropriate authorities of any suspicious calls or activities. Reports received in a timely manner can help investigations and shield others from falling for the same fraud.
2fA:
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever you can to provide online accounts and transactions an additional degree of protection. This may lessen the chance of unwanted access.
Cybersecurity Software:
- To defend against malware, phishing attempts, and other online risks, install and update reputable antivirus and anti-malware software on a regular basis.
Educate Friends and Family:
- Inform friends and family about typical scams and how to avoid falling victim to fraud. A safer online environment can be achieved through increased collective knowledge.
Be skeptical
- Whenever anything looks strange or too good to be true, it most often is. Trust your instincts. Prior to acting, follow your gut and confirm the information.
By taking these precautions and exercising caution, people may lessen their vulnerability to scams and safeguard their money and personal data from online fraudsters.
Conclusion:
Verifying calls, maintaining secrecy, checking official papers, transacting cautiously, and keeping up to date are all examples of protective measures for protecting ourselves from such scams. Using cybersecurity software, turning on two-factor authentication, and reporting suspicious activity are essential in stopping these types of frauds. Raising awareness and working together are essential to making the internet a safer place and resisting the activities of cybercriminals.
References:
- https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-cybercrime-drug-in-parcel-cyber-scam-it-duping-9058298/#:~:text=In%20August%20this%20year%2C%20a,avoiding%20legal%20action%20including%20arrest.
- https://www.the420.in/pune-it-professional-duped-of-rs-27-9-lakh-in-drug-in-parcel-scam/
- https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/oct/16/the-return-of-drugs-in-parcel-scam-2624323.html
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/2-techies-fall-prey-to-drug-parcel-scam/articleshow/102786234.cms
