oppn parties Cybercriminals Have Weaponised the Festive Season. Vigilance Cannot Take a Holiday.

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  • Sonia Gandhi says the ground has shifted under the Modi government. Addressing the political debate surrounding her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said the government was insecure and that the present regime was not destined to remain in power. The BJP hit back, accusing her of presenting a selective account of the Congress's political history
  • Terrorists attack CRPF checkpoint in Kulgam, three personnel injured. Motorcycle-borne attackers opened fire at a CRPF checkpoint in Akhran village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon. Three personnel were injured, one critically, prompting a security response in the area
  • Hijack threat note found on Kolkata-Mumbai Air India flight. A note found in the washroom of the aircraft before its scheduled 10:20 am departure threatened a hijacking at 11:10 am. Passengers were deboarded and the aircraft moved to an isolation bay for security checks; the airport activated the prescribed safety procedures
  • Reuters investigation finds forged court orders used to block 129 betting websites. The report found that government blocking directions had relied on two purported High Court orders that were not genuine. The Allahabad High Court had confirmed that its attributed order was fake and filed a police complaint; the case raises serious questions about verification before online content is blocked on judicial authority
  • Supreme Court condemns forum shopping by litigants. The Court transferred a commercial dispute from the Delhi High Court to the Madras High Court, observing that parties cannot choose a court merely because multiple courts have territorial jurisdiction. It warned against creating an artificial hierarchy among High Courts
  • Delhi High Court asks government to explain vacancies in child rights commission. The Court directed the Delhi government to provide the status of vacant posts in the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights and indicate when they would be filled
  • The Directorate General of Foreign Trade changed the export policy for the recycled battery material from 'Free' to 'Prohibited' with immediate effect. The move is intended to retain lithium, cobalt, nickel and other critical minerals for domestic recycling and refining, supporting India's battery and electric-vehicle supply chains
  • Moody's raises India's FY27 growth forecast to 7%. The ratings agency revised its projection from 6.5%, citing resilient consumption and improving investment conditions.
  • The Sensex rose 772.75 points (0.95%) to 81,879.40, while the Nifty 50 advanced 210.40 points (0.84%) to 25,255.05 on Wednesday. The indices ended lower after rising much higher intra-day
  • India beat Maldives 1-0 to enter SAFF Championship semi-finals. Suhail Ahmad Bhat converted a penalty in the 38th minute, while goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey made important late saves
  • Jaypal Malviya secures India's first shooting quota for Los Angeles 2028. Malviya won silver in the men's 50m rifle three-positions event at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, finishing behind China's Kai Hu
  • Niraj Kumar wins bronze and a second Olympic shooting quota for India. Kumar finished third in the men's 50m rifle three-positions event at the same championship, securing India's second quota place for Los Angeles 2028
  • Lakshya Sen advances at Japan Masters. Sen defeated Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen 21-19, 21-18 to reach the men's singles Round of 16. He is scheduled to face China's Dong Tianyao in the next round
  • Indian boxer Ambekar Meetei reaches World Championships semi-final. The Indian advanced to the last four in the men's 50kg category, assuring himself at least a bronze medal. He was scheduled to face Colombia's Izzon Jeffrey Arevalo in the semi-final
  • Gunjan assures India another medal at the Youth Olympics. The Indian boxer defeated Mexico's Atena Sofia Juarez Calero 5-0 to reach the women's 48kg semi-final at the Dakar Youth Olympics
Terrorists attack CRPF checkpoint in Kulgam in J&K, three personnel injured /////// Anna Hazare rejected Sonia Gandhi's account of the anti-corruption movement. denying that his 2011-12 India Against Corruption movement had any covert backing from the BJP or RSS
oppn parties
Cybercriminals Have Weaponised the Festive Season. Vigilance Cannot Take a Holiday.

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2026-09-23 02:31:46

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

Old scams do not die. They return every year, repackaged for the calendar. The Times of India's report on cyber fraud ahead of Durga Puja proves this once again. A Middleton Street resident lost Rs 1 crore. Another victim lost Rs 3.7 lakh. Both fell for tactics that police have flagged repeatedly, yet both handed over their banking credentials without a second thought.

The pattern is familiar. Fraudsters exploit festive excitement. They dangle reward points, discount coupons, and food delivery offers. They impersonate bank officials, social media acquaintances, and even delivery platforms. The methods are old. The packaging changes each season.

The Modus Operandi Is Not Sophisticated. The Complacency Is.

Consider the Middleton Street case. A fraudster posed as a banking representative, targeted a resident, and walked away with Rs 1 crore. Consider Belegharia, where a scammer created a duplicate Facebook profile of an acquaintance, messaged the victim, and extracted banking details under the guise of verification. Neither case required advanced technology. Both required only a moment of trust from the victim.

This is the uncomfortable truth. Cyber fraud in India does not succeed because the criminals are brilliant. It succeeds because citizens remain willing to click unverified links, share OTPs, and trust unsolicited calls claiming urgency. Police have published safety tips year after year. OTPs are not to be shared. Bank keys are private. Unfamiliar delivery orders are not to be accepted grossly discounted. Yet the losses continue to mount, festival after festival.

A 100% Waiver on Vigilance Is Not an Option

The report also notes a separate matter, the state government's decision to waive 100% of interest and 10% of the principal on defaulted property tax dues in Howrah, ahead of civic body elections. Citizens should note the timing. Governance decisions cluster around elections. Cybercriminals cluster around festivals. Both exploit predictable human behaviour, whether that behaviour is electoral gratitude or festive haste.

The lesson for ordinary citizens is this. Institutional protection, whether from banks, police, or telecom operators, will always lag behind the ingenuity of fraud networks. The final safeguard sits with the individual. No reward point is worth a shared OTP. No festive discount justifies clicking an unverified link. No banking representative calls to verify credentials over the phone.

The Only Durable Defence Is Habitual Scepticism

Awareness campaigns matter, but campaigns fade once printed. What does not fade is a fixed personal rule: never share financial credentials over a call, message, or unfamiliar app, regardless of who claims to be asking. This rule must become as automatic as locking one's front door.

Durga Puja will bring celebration to Kolkata. It will also bring, as it has every year, a fresh wave of digital predators dressed as reward schemes and delivery notifications. The festival cannot be allowed to lower anyone's guard. Vigilance is not a seasonal virtue. It is a permanent discipline, and this week's headlines are proof of what happens when that discipline lapse.

 

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