Maharashtra Cyber Police in an advisory has informed a new modus operandi used by the accused involved in Sextortion cases. The police said that pretending that there were some audio-video issues over the call, the accused convinces the victim to download an app to fix the problem. The malware disguised as an app then steals the contact data and the accused gets access to this data which they later use to blackmail the victims.
Explaining the modus-operandi used by the perpetrators, the advisory stated, "Cyber-criminals create a fake account with an attractive woman and invite the victim to chat to the woman. The accused then convinces the victim to move their chat to a video chat platform so that they can have cybersex. The accused then records the explicit video of the victim without his knowledge. The accused pretend to have some audio-video issues over the call and convince the victim to download an app to fix the problem."
"The malware disguised as an app then steals the victim's contact and stored data from the phone and the accused gets access to this data which they later use to blackmail the victims. Cyber-criminals threaten to expose the victim's videos if they do not pay a hefty sum of money. The accused even shows the victim's contact list to scare him more," the advisory states.
Speaking about what measures one should take to ensure they do not fall prey to such crimes, an officer said, "Once a victim has fallen in the trap, he/she should not panic, immediately stop communicating with the perpetrator and report the matter to the police station. The victim should also preserve the evidence of blackm ail and threats. One must understand the potential risks and be safe while being online. Never share personal information with strangers."
