Hyderabad police have revealed that the majority of 184 social media handles blocked over the past month for promoting online betting were being operated from foreign countries to evade Indian security agencies. The cybercrime police's social media team conducted sustained scrutiny using various tools to trace these handles that advertised online betting.
IP Address Tracking Reveals Foreign Origins
After identifying the handles, officials tracked their IP addresses to determine their locations. A cybercrime official stated, "Most of these handles are being operated from Malaysia, Dubai, and a few other foreign countries. Though the accounts belong to Indians, they are being operated from foreign lands to target Indian users and lure them into betting by promising high returns."
Modus Operandi and User Exploitation
Officials suspect that individuals who created these accounts and shared their details with operators were paid for doing so. Users visiting these social media handles are redirected to online betting platforms upon clicking. The 184 handles promoted as many as 801 advertisements. Hyderabad police noted, "These advertisements were strategically designed to attract vulnerable users by promising easy money, bonuses, referral commissions, and huge returns on their investments. The identified profiles were systematically sharing promotional content, referral links, and IPL predictions."
Broader Illegal Betting Ecosystem
Illegal betting organizers have been using various platforms, including websites hosting pirated movies, the dark web, advanced encrypted messaging apps, and social media accounts, to lure vulnerable individuals with attractive advertisements that encourage them to place bets and make quick money.
Cyber Patrolling and Ongoing Investigation
This cyber patrolling exercise began in February, during which police identified 427 social media profiles linked to Meta and identified 900 advertisements related to betting and fake investment schemes. So far, victims have not come forward, and officials are therefore unaware of the loss incurred. Letters have been sent to the social media companies concerned seeking details about the accounts, citing that online betting is banned in India. Police have registered six cases, and the investigation is ongoing.
