Supreme Court Warns Public About Fake Websites Collecting Personal Information

Highlights

• The Supreme Court of India has issued a warning about fake websites pretending to be its official site.
• The advisory aims to collect personal information through phishing attacks.
• Citizens are advised to verify links before clicking and avoid sharing personal or confidential information.
• Advice for victims includes changing passwords and reporting suspicious activity to banks.
• The Supreme Court clarifies that it never asks for personal or financial details.

The Supreme Court of India has issued a public notice alerting citizens about fake websites pretending to be its official site. These fraudulent websites aim to collect sensitive and confidential personal information, according to a report by PTI.

The Supreme Court registry said, “The Registry, Supreme Court of India has been made aware of a phishing attack,” noting that the fake websites are hosted on fraudulent URLs.

The advisory further stated, “The attackers through the URLs are soliciting personal details and confidential information. Any visitor on the above URLs is strongly advised not to share and divulge any personal and confidential information, as the same shall enable the perpetrators to steal the information.”

To ensure public safety, the registry emphasised the importance of verifying links before clicking and warned against sharing any personal or confidential details without confirming the authenticity of the source.

What Is a Phishing Scam?

A phishing scam is an online fraud where scammers trick people into sharing sensitive information such as passwords, financial details or personal data. These scams often involve fake emails, messages or links that appear to come from trusted sources like banks, government agencies or popular websites.

Once victims share their information, scammers use it for activities like stealing money or committing identity theft.

Advice for Victims of Phishing Attacks

The Supreme Court clarified that it “will never ask for personal information, financial details or other confidential information.”

It added, “Please also note that the Supreme Court of India is the registered user of the domain name www.sci.gov.in and before clicking on any URL always hover over the URL to verify the same.”

The registry advised anyone affected by phishing attacks to take the following steps –

• Immediately change passwords for all online accounts.
• Report unauthorized access or suspicious activity to your bank or credit card company.

The registry stated, “The Registry, Supreme Court of India has taken due concern of the phishing attack and has flagged the same with law enforcement agencies, to investigate the phishing attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

FAQs

Q1. What warning has the Supreme Court of India issued to the public?

Answer. The Supreme Court of India has issued a public notice alerting citizens about fake websites pretending to be its official site. These fraudulent websites aim to collect sensitive and confidential personal information.

Q2. What advice has the Supreme Court provided to avoid phishing attacks?

Answer. Citizens are advised to verify links before clicking and avoid sharing personal or confidential information without confirming the source’s authenticity.

Q3. What steps should victims of phishing attacks take as per the Supreme Court?

Answer. Immediately change passwords for all online accounts. Report unauthorized access or suspicious activity to your bank or credit card company.

Read More: Facebook to Remove Fake News About COVID-19 Vaccines

Read More: Top Most Common Hacked Passwords List

Read More: How to Protect Your Instagram Account from Hackers