Hyderabad: Just pay Rs 5,000 to data providers listed in Just Dial search engine, they will provide personal data of one lakh people. After finding this out in their secret operation, the Rachakonda Cyber Crime Police are going to issue notices to Just Dial as part of further investigation into the modus operandi of a gang of cyber criminals, which they nabbed on Wednesday, police sources said.
In the initial investigation, the police found that the gangsters were fleecing people by stealing their dates of birth, bank account numbers, Aadhaar, PAN details, etc. The gang has been operating from a fake call centre set up in faraway Kolkata to target innocent victims in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Cybercrime inspectors Narendra Goud and M. Shankar, who examined the computers and phones of the accused, inquired how they got all the phone numbers, personal details, and addresses.
Also Read: Cyber crimes: Secure your hard-earned money; never share OTP, CVV
The police said that the accused revealed how they had got personal data of many people by paying small amounts to staff of some companies. Then, the police ran a special operation to gather information along the same lines. The police called Just Dial and asked for numbers of data providers. After getting those numbers, they called data providers and asked for data. The police asked for details of Flipkart's registered members and those who have paid income tax. A data provider sent sample data first. When the police saw it and said they wanted more, they took Rs. 5 thousand and sent the personal information of one lakh people.
The details sent by the data providers contain the birth dates of lakhs of people. The personal details of thousands of people who have paid income tax, the company they work for, their salary, and when they paid tax - are all there. In addition, the details of purchases made on Flipkart. Which item did they buy last time? How did they pay? Everything is there, including their addresses. It is found out that the data providers have tied up with Just Dial. The police are going to issue notices to all the involved for further investigation.
Also Read: Cyber thieves on the prowl ahead of Dussehra, Diwali festivals
The latest case once again exposed how vulnerable the data of public is. This includes one's phone number, address, bank account, Aadhaar, and PAN card - sensitive data which is being sold like a commodity. Thus, personal details of lakhs of people are reaching cyber criminals.
