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Technology Desk: Caution is very important while using social media. Cyber ​​criminals are making people victims of fraud through some obscene and attractive advertisements appearing on Facebook and Instagram. The cyber agency of the central government has alerted people regarding this.

The National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C), working under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has issued an advisory in this matter. It has been told that cyber criminals are directing people to fake websites by showing advertisements with adult content on social media.

The game can start as soon as you click on the advertisement

Cyber ​​criminals create advertisements that look attractive. After clicking on these, the user is sent to a fake website. Here he is asked to download an app.

The special thing is that these apps are downloaded as APK files from some other website instead of Google Play Store. This is called sideloading.

Be careful with these 7 apps

According to the government's warning, apps named Night Play, Reloop, Kyss, Riva, Vima, Nexo and Vixa are being used in such frauds on social media.

These apps are presented as apps to adult content. After downloading, these apps ask for Accessibility Permission of the phone.

Giving Accessibility Permission may be costly

If the user grants this permission without thinking, the suspicious app may get access to many important features of the phone. After this, cyber criminals can misuse the information present in the phone and can also install other dangerous apps.

Due to this, there is a risk of theft of messages, OTP and sensitive information to banking. Through this, an attempt can also be made to withdraw money from the bank account.

VPN can also be installed secretly in the phone

According to I4C, some such dangerous apps can also install VPN on the phone without your knowledge. Cyber ​​criminals can use this to redirect internet traffic. This means that your phone and Internet connection can be used for any illegal activity.

The app is not deleted easily

Another problem with these dangerous apps is that they may try to prevent themselves from being removed from the phone. When the user tries to uninstall them, there may be problems in the settings of the phone. Because of this, it may be difficult for a normal user to remove such apps.

What to do to avoid cyber fraud?

• Don't download any apps from outside the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
• Do not click on suspicious or obscene advertisements that appear on social media.
• Avoid giving Accessibility Permission to any unknown app.
• If a suspicious app is accidentally installed, immediately turn off the internet and seek expert help.
• If you notice any suspicious activity to banking or OTP, contact the bank immediately.
• In case of cyber fraud, complain on 1930 National Cyber ​​Helpline.

One click can cause big loss

Not every advertisement seen on social media is trustworthy. Be especially careful of advertisements that ask you to download an app from an external website. Before installing any app, check its source and permissions.