TN cyber sleuths write to X to curb fraud via platform

CHENNAI:  As fraudulent investment websites blatantly run social media posts carrying sensational headlines with celebrity names and forged logos of popular news outlets, Tamil Nadu Police's cybercrime wing has sent a notice to social networking site X, urging them to proactively take measures to prevent fraud through its platform.

The police have also cautioned the public to not fall prey to cyber frauds. "A letter has also been sent to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, to give appropriate directions to X to implement robust moderation and verification processes to detect and remove suspicious content, ensuring that its platform is not used to deceive or manipulate users," an official release stated.

The cyber patrolling team has already taken down several fraudulent handles and websites and noted there is a proliferation of social media posts that show public figures like Shreya Ghoshal and Sudha Moorthi, among others, endorsing investment websites.

According to the cybercrime sleuths, they have identified 25 X handles and posts that showed Ghoshal allegedly promoting certain trading platforms; all those handles have been suspended. Additionally, 38 associated websites and trading platforms linked to these posts have been blocked.

The cybercrime wing said a similar trend has emerged on Facebook, where the pictures of the President, Prime Minister and, even, Sadhguru are used to promote fraudulent investment sites. Efforts are on to take down 18 suspicious Facebook posts and 15 associated websites, it noted.