If you haven’t used your phone or bank account in a while, be aware that cybercriminals may have started using your phone number or bank account for illegal purposes such as cheating or digital fraud.
Vijaysinh Jhala, a 22-year-old male from Aniyol village in Talod taluka of Sabarkantha, was recently arrested by the city crime branch for reportedly selling SIM cards illegally. Bank accounts, digital wallets, and OTT app access passwords were also being sold illegally during his inquiry.
These activities are growing in rural regions of north Gujarat, particularly in the Sabarkantha, Aravalli, and Banaskantha districts, where gangs utilise the dark web to steal data from telecom providers or banks and exploit it for unlawful purposes, according to a police officer.
Jhala was arrested on October 9 when authorities discovered he was preparing to deliver a few SIM cards to a certain person. When the police caught him and conducted more investigation, they discovered that the group for whom Jhala worked as a delivery guy had approximately 20.000 SIM cards.
“To avoid the cops, groups like this work in layers. The kingpin will use Telegram groups to sell SIM cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets. If someone expresses interest, another group of individuals will examine his credentials, and if he passes, they will send someone to provide the SIM cards “remarked a cop.
In the case of digital wallets and bank accounts, gang members will deliver the user IDs or passwords to the end user or client who buys them illegally in such a way that the end user will not even know their name or identity.
According to a police official, not only the end user or consumer, but also those working in the second or third layer will have no idea who the mastermind is.