Indian e-commerce users target of new ‘year-end carnival’ online scam

Agencies
December 29, 2020

New Delhi, Dec 29: As New Year festivities begin, cybercriminals based in China also have their own plans. They are targeting Indian e-commerce users with a new "year-end carnival, Get free Christmas gifts" scam, an investigation has revealed.

The scam is designed to make e-commerce users believe that Flipkart is offering an year-end carnival, although there is no such information this year on the e-commerce player's official website regarding such a carnival, New Delhi-based CyberPeace Foundation which conducted the investigation said on Monday.

The cybercriminals want to dupe e-commerce users into thinking that they can win a brand new OPPO F17 Pro smartphone.

The owner of the sites that are being shared via the social media platform, is not Flipkart Internet Private Limited.

It seems that the sites are registered in China, as per the investigation.

While the new scam bears many similarities to the Spin the Lucky Wheel Scam reported earlier, the new scam aims to also inject malware into the smartphones of users by asking people to install a third-party malicious app.

"There is a need for International cyber cooperation between countries to bust the criminal networks running the fraud campaigns affecting individuals and organisations to make the cyberspace resilient and peaceful," Vineet Kumar, President and Founder, CyberPeace Foundation, said in a statement.

"With the growing number of attacks and disruption in the cyberspace, countries are struggling with attributing attacks and fixing accountability which stands to be one of the major causes of concerns today."

The scam is new and is in the early stages of its lifecycle. There is a probability that this scam could reach a mass number of Indians by December 31 and could last well until the first week of January, according to CyberPeace Foundation.

Unlike Spin the wheel scam, the format of selecting winners is different this time.

On the landing page, a lucky draw section can be seen, on clicking the start button it shows "It's a pity that you didn't get the reward, you have 2 more chances" with an alert.

Also at the bottom of this page, a section comes up which seems to be a Facebook comment section where many users have commented about how much the offer is beneficial. All these comments and accounts are fake as per the investigation.

This scam is a much more malicious version of the earlier e-commerce scams as it aims to keep users engaged with fake popup alerts.

Every time a user clicks on the WhatsApp button on the scam website to share the link ahead with friends and family via Whatsapp a new tab opens on browser with a link.

It means if the user clicks on the link from a mobile device it will open the installed WhatsApp application on the phone.

Earlier reports showed that China-based hacking groups also targeted online shoppers during the record-breaking Flipkart festive season sales.

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News Network
November 21,2025

Tejas.jpg

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet crashed on Friday, November 21, afternoon during its aerial demonstration at the Dubai Air Show, plunging to the ground at around 2:10 pm local time while performing a manoeuvre before thousands of spectators.

The IAF confirmed the incident, stating that a Tejas aircraft participating in the show had crashed and that further details were being gathered. An Air Force spokesperson said more information would be shared after initial assessments.

The crash sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport, causing panic among visitors, including families and children who had gathered to watch the display. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene, and officials have not released information on casualties or damage so far.

The Tejas is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter aircraft developed indigenously by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Designed for versatility, it is capable of offensive air support, close combat, ground attack missions and maritime operations. The aircraft family includes single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers for both the Air Force and Navy.

HAL describes the latest version, the LCA Mk1A, as the most advanced in the series, featuring an AESA radar, an upgraded electronic warfare suite with radar-warning and self-protection jamming, smart multifunction displays, a digital map generator, a combined interrogator–transponder system and a modern radio altimeter. These enhancements significantly improve the aircraft’s combat capability and survivability.

Further updates from IAF and UAE authorities are awaited.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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