Cybercrime units warn public against fake donation links amid border tensions

Amid the ongoing Indo-Pakistan tensions, cyber criminals in NCR are having a field day trying to fool people by asking them to make donations for Army and Kashmir and also stealing data from the victims’ mobile phones. The cops of Haryana, Rajasthan and UP have issued alerts against phishing links, social media messages seeking donations and APK files disguised as Indo-Pakistan related news updates.

The officials have cautioned citizens to abstain from making any donations on such unverified links — even if sent by verified contacts.

“Cyber criminals are quite active during this time. They are not just sending phishing links that can lead to data theft but are also stealing money by sending fake donation links. We have issued an alert to all to abstain from clicking such links and auto-downloading everything on social media,” said a senior official of Gurugram police.

Speaking to the The Tribune, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Home, Sumita Misra, said, “Haryana has cyber police stations in each district. All cybercrime units are on alert to avert any cyberattack and deal with such cybercrimes. We are currently making people aware of such threats. Everyone should be wary of online links and files and should not share any financial information in the name of donations for Army or war-impacted border areas. In case of any suspicious activity, they should call the cyber helpline.”

According to the police, attackers are circulating fake content — videos, images, APKs and .exe files — via WhatsApp, Telegram, other social media platforms and email. These files often appear as breaking news, leaked war footage or urgent updates, but contain malware designed to steal personal data, hack bank and social media accounts.

Mathura in UP; Alwar and Baharatpur in Rajasthan; and Nuh in Haryana are key hotspots of cyber criminals.