Thu Jan 02 03:07:49 UTC 2025: ## WhatsApp Leads as Top Platform for Cyber Scams in India, I4C Report Reveals
**New Delhi, January 2, 2025** – A new report from India’s Union Home Ministry reveals WhatsApp as the primary platform exploited for cyber fraud, with over 43,000 complaints filed in the first three months of 2024 alone. Telegram and Instagram followed with 22,680 and 19,800 complaints respectively. The report, covering 2023-24, highlights the use of Google services, including its advertising platform, by international scammers to target Indian citizens.
The “Pig Butchering Scam,” a global phenomenon involving investment fraud and money laundering, is a major concern. Victims, often unemployed youth, housewives, students, and those in need, are losing significant amounts of money daily.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is actively collaborating with Google and Facebook to combat this surge in online fraud. This collaboration focuses on sharing intelligence, proactively flagging fraudulent digital lending apps, addressing the misuse of Google’s Firebase hosting service by cybercriminals, and identifying and removing malicious Android banking malware. The report further notes that Facebook sponsored ads are widely used by organized crime groups to promote illegal lending apps in India.
I4C is also committed to enhancing the capabilities of India’s criminal justice system. This includes providing cyber security training and digital forensics education to law enforcement, forensic examiners, prosecutors, and judges across the country.
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