Scammers Found Planting Betting Ads on Indian Gov Sites

In a startling discovery, scammers have been found exploiting Indian government websites by planting ads that redirect users to online betting platforms. According to a report by TechCrunch, approximately forty-eight domains ending with “gov.in” have been compromised across various Indian states, including Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, and Telangana.

These sites, which range from state police to property tax departments, have been inadvertently serving as conduits to websites that boast of being top online betting environments, particularly for cricket. TechCrunch's investigation highlighted the ease with which these deceptive practices were carried out, noting that the ads were indexed by search engines, thus facilitating their spread.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been alerted and is working to remove the ads and enhance the security of the affected sites. "It’s not clear how the scammers planted the ads on Indian government pages or for how long the links were redirecting to the online betting platforms," TechCrunch reported. In response to the discovery, CERT-In stated, "We are coordinating with relevant authorities to address the situation."

The severity of this issue is magnified by recent governmental efforts to clamp down on illegal online betting and gambling. A separate report from Business Standard reveals that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued advisories to endorsers and social media influencers, urging them to avoid promoting offshore betting platforms.

The government warns of the significant financial and socio-economic risks posed by such platforms, particularly to the youth, and has stated that non-compliance could trigger legal actions under the Consumer Protection Act of 2019. Adding to the government's proactive stance, The Times of India reported that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has blocked 174 betting and gambling apps among a total of 581 problematic apps.

This action was part of a broader crackdown initiated by MeitY, which also saw the blocking of numerous loan lending and other unauthorized apps. The crackdown includes apps investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for links to a money laundering syndicate, highlighting the government's rigorous approach to curbing illegal online activities.