Telegram Used by Hackers To Host ‘Underground Data Markets’ for Southeast Asian Crime Gangs, Alleges United Nations
According to United Nations, Telegram allowed the criminals to conduct large-scale data-selling and host 'underground data markets' for Southeast Asian crime gangs.
Bangkok, October 7: United Nations report alleged that the Telegram app was used in conducting large scale illegal activities by the hackers. The instant messaging app has been criticised early for allowing criminal elements to thrive on the platform and run various international scams. Recently, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was detained in France over the criminal charges of drug trafficking and child exploitation. Despite the CEO's commitment to stopping illegal use by sharing the criminals' data with the respective government authorities, hackers still use the platform.
Reuters mentioned in its report that the UN said that the criminals used Telegram to host "underground data markets" for Southeast Asian crime gangs. United Nations further said the hackers used the platform to enable a fundamental change in the way criminals could conduct organised crime activities on a large scale. The app was still used to trade a vast scale of data, including credit card details, passwords, browser history and more, said the UNODC (United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime. Email Spoofing Scam in Chennai: Cybercrime Police Recover INR 2 Crore After Fraudsters Posing As Supplier Dupe Businessman With Fake Invoice in Tamil Nadu.
Telegram has been a playground for cybercriminals for using deepfake software, data-selling malware and crypto exchanges that provide money laundering services. The report said that one Chinese ad said that they moved 3 million USDT, which were stolen from overseas per day. The UN report said that it was the strongest evidence that there were some underground data markets available on the Telegram app. The vendors also actively looked to target the transactional organised crime group in Southeast Asia. Union Minister Amit Shah Launches 4 Cyber Platforms, Announces Training for 5,000 Cyber Commandos To Tackle Rising Cybercrime in India (Watch Video).
According to Reuters, Southeast Asia had become a major multibillion-dollar industry hub that targeted several victims in the world. The region had various Chinese syndicates operating from the fortified compounds that were staffed by the trafficked workers. This massive scale operation generated between USD 27.4 billion to USD 36.5 billion in a year, according to the report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2024 02:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).