Operation that Disrupted Fake E-Mail Network in India
The e-mail network sending false bomb threats was dismantled in Gujarat, and more than 500 thousand fake Gmail accounts were seized.
Quick Look
Police in the Indian state of Gujarat busted an email network sending hoax bomb threats; More than 500 thousand fake Gmail accounts used since 2022 were seized in the operation.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In India, cybercrimes and frauds cause financial losses of more than $2 billion annually.
Police in the western state of Gujarat this week dismantled an interstate email network sending hoax bomb threats and detained two people.
During the operation, 513 thousand 847 Gmail accounts that have been actively used since 2022 and the passwords of these accounts were seized.
Vivek Bheda, a senior officer in the cyber crimes unit of the Gujarat police, stated that the size of the fake Gmail accounts used is at an unprecedented level.
Bheda said, "We will send an official letter to Google to make internal policy changes to prevent security mechanisms from being compromised in this way."
The official also stated that they plan to register Google as an official investigation party in the police investigation in a short time.
It is not yet clear whether Google will face possible legal action or criminal sanctions.
The rapidly growing wave of cybercrime and financial frauds in India cause financial losses of more than $2 billion annually.
Security forces in the country are increasingly tightening their controls on technology platforms that are considered to pave the way for the commission of such crimes.
The investigation in Gujarat was launched after a threatening email was sent to the state government on September 10, a few days before the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
In the police statement, it was noted that the message also targeted countries that cooperated with India during the summit process.
Stating that the reports were unfounded, Bheda stated that one of the detained suspects was in direct contact with a buyer in Bangladesh.
It was determined that the buyer in question purchased these accounts in bulk packages and made some of the payments with cryptocurrency to send false e-mails.
Another detail that worries law enforcement officials is that the two-factor authentication step offered by Google to increase security is activated in all fake accounts.
How the criminal network established and operated the security barrier in such a large number of accounts constitutes a separate part of the investigation.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Official letter will be sent to Google regarding security policy changes
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- How did the criminal network bypass two-factor authentication?
- Will Google join the investigation as an official party?
