Significant modifications to the US visa application procedure for Indian nationals in recent months have allowed cybercriminals to take advantage of the applicants and get their data.
A 45-year-old engineer was defrauded by a scammer on the social media platform Telegram in the first instance of this type to be reported in Bengaluru. The victim received assurances that his interview for a temporary visit B1/B2 non-immigrant visa, which was initially planned for April 2026, would proceed. The RR Nagar victim informed the police that on May 22, he discovered a Telegram group that had information on the B1/B2 visa application. The victim became interested and joined the t.me/hyderabadchennai channel.
When DH cross-checked the app on Saturday, the channel remained active with 4,232 members. The victim was immediately contacted by the scamster, who identified himself as Vanam Sravan Krishna. The engineer was told that his visa appointment could be rescheduled sooner for a nominal fee of Rs 10,000. The suspect then asked for the victim’s login credentials, including password, of the US visa application portal and received them. The channel still had 4,232 members when DH cross-checked the app on Saturday.
The con artist, who claimed to be Vanam Sravan Krishna, got in touch with the victim right away. For a small price of Rs 10,000, the engineer was informed that his visa appointment might be rescheduled earlier. The suspect then requested and obtained the victim’s login information, including the password, for the US visa application portal.
The victim described the situation to the police as a nightmare, claiming that the scammer first emailed him a phony “appointment rescheduled” receipt and then threatened to alter his login credentials if he didn’t pay the Rs 10,000 cost.
Despite transferring another Rs 10,000, the scamsters changed the victim’s login credentials, locking him out of the visa application portal, the police said. West CEN police registered the case on May 24, and a probe is underway.
According to the authorities, the scammers altered the victim’s login information and prevented him from accessing the visa application page, even though he had transferred an additional Rs 10,000. On May 24, West CEN police filed the case, and an investigation is now in progress.
Larger implications
Even if the loss is little in comparison to previous cybercrimes, senior cybercrime detectives stated that these instances will have grave ramifications.
“The first issue is the victim voluntarily sharing the credentials and approaching a third party to circumvent an official process. In such cases, the authorities from the respective embassies are unlikely to cooperate, since the victim is also equally at at fault, at least from their point of view,” a senior CID officer told media.
“Since he has been locked out and may not be able to recover the account as the scamster may have changed security prompts like a security question for password recovery, hhe may not be able to raise another visa application request. And embassies tend to cancel appointments and, in worst cases, ban an applicant if they smell fraudulent activity,” he added.
There was also a chance of identity theft and data exploitation, according to another officer.
“Since the account now belongs to the scamster, they can essentially impersonate the victim and even access any documents he may have uploaded to the application portal. I want to reiterate that people shouldn’t share their details, especially sensitive login credentials, to unknown people on the internet,” a senior cybercrime investigator in Bengaluru told media.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter |The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Whatsapp Channel | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Instagram
About us:
The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News is a premier platform dedicated to delivering latest news, updates, and insights from the tech industry. With its strong foundation of intellectual property and thought leadership, the platform is well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve and lead conversations about how technology shapes our world. From its early days as CIO News to its rebranding as The Mainstream on November 28, 2024, it has been expanding its global reach, targeting key markets in the Middle East & Africa, ASEAN, the USA, and the UK. The Mainstream is a vision to put technology at the center of every conversation, inspiring professionals and organizations to embrace the future of tech.
