July 26, 2026
MP PNST admit card 2026 released at esb.mp.gov.in: Direct link to download hall tickets here

MP PNST admit card 2026 released at esb.mp.gov.in: Direct link to download hall tickets here

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

The Madhya Pradesh Staff Selection Board has issued the MP PNST Admit Card 2026 on its official website for candidates appearing in the Pre-Nursing Selection Test. Registered applicants can access their hall tickets using their login credentials. Candidates should verify all details carefully, report discrepancies immediately, and carry a printed admit card to the examination…

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Akhil Akkineni visits Tirumala ahead of ‘Lenin’ release; Nagarjuna joins family for temple visit

Akhil Akkineni visits Tirumala ahead of ‘Lenin’ release; Nagarjuna joins family for temple visit

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Akhil Akkineni visits Tirumala ahead of ‘Lenin’ release; Nagarjuna joins family for temple visit With the release of ‘Lenin’ just days away, Akhil Akkineni, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Bhagyashri Borse, producer Naga Vamsi, and members of the film’s team visited the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple to seek divine blessings.As seen in the videos shared on X, Nagarjuna was…

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Microsoft: Man quits 0K Microsoft job in Switzerland to create content: Career mistakes he admits to and the lessons they teach

Microsoft: Man quits $200K Microsoft job in Switzerland to create content: Career mistakes he admits to and the lessons they teach

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

The decision to leave a well-paid corporate job in order to pursue entrepreneurial dreams seems to be an inspirational choice, but Christian Harms explains why it was a difficult experience for him. The former Microsoft worker who gave up his $200,000 salary to create content in Australia presented his “Museum of Failures” via Instagram. Unlike…

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‘Bhang isn’t covered under NDPS ‘: Why Jharkhand HC overturned 7-year jail term in 11kg ‘ganja’ case

‘Bhang isn’t covered under NDPS ‘: Why Jharkhand HC overturned 7-year jail term in 11kg ‘ganja’ case

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

AI generated image used for representative purpose NEW DELHI: The Jharkhand high court has set aside the conviction of a man sentenced to seven years in jail for allegedly possessing 11 kg of ganja, after finding that the seized substance was actually bhang and it is not covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances…

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear plea which alleged that some of the accused in the Tamil Nadu’s Karur stampede case are trying to influence witnesses after being appointed as minister in the Vijay-led government.A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu has agreed to hear the matter on Tuesday.The stampede occurred last year during the political rally of TVK.Earlier on July 3, DMK moved the apex court seeking a judicial direction to bar TVK leader including chief minster Joseph Vijay and minister Adhav Arjuna from making “threatening” public statements or public statements in connection with the Karur stampede during the ongoing CBI investigation/The application has been filed by RS Bharathi, Organising Secretary of the DMK, seeking to be impleaded as a respondent in the proceedings arising out of the September 27, 2025 Karur stampede, in which 41 people lost their lives, and 142 others were injured during a TVK rally.Referring to a speech delivered on July 2 by Aadhav Arjuna, who is also an accused in the case, the application alleged that the minister publicly declared there was “a score to settle” and accused the previous DMK government of being responsible for the deaths in Karur.According to the plea, such statements by a sitting Cabinet Minister who is himself facing investigation are “wholly impermissible during the pendency of the investigation and are liable to prejudice the fairness of the ongoing process monitored by this Hon’ble Court.”The application further alleged that the speech “is intended to interfere with the investigation of CBI appointed by this Hon’ble Court and calculated to create a public perception that DMK and its leadership is responsible for the incident for political gains.”It also referred to media reports indicating that chief minister Vijay is likely to visit Karur on July 10 to distribute government benefits, including compassionate appointments, to the families of those who died in the stampede.(This is a developing story)Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Super Emergency’: TMC Claims Police Barricaded Mamata Banerjee’s House Before Baruipur VisitBadrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Donation Irregularity ClaimsMumbai Monsoon Horror: 63-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls On ShopCentre Denies Reports That Bhutan Rejected India’s E20 Petrol ProposalPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s .4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political Row123PhotostoriesWhat is mom guilt? Psychologists explain the silent feeling millions of mothers experience every dayFrom Chilla to Dosa: 7 high-protein desi breakfasts made with oats and paneerDaily weight loss pill available in UK pharmacies: Who can buy and how, how much they cost, how to take them, and more — all you need to knowQuote of the day by Neem Karoli Baba: “God will give you everything you need for your spiritual development. Hold on to nothing.”; What Maharaj ji advices on having faith in God and leaving attachment to material possessions5 most common cancers affecting men in India and the early symptoms that could save livesIs it normal forgetfulness or Alzheimer’s disease? Doctor reveals the warning signs you should never ignoreSonam Kapoor’s Punit Balana look had more drama than Anshula Kapoor’s mehendi playlist, and we loved every bit of itTop 5 most active dog breeds5 grasslands in India where the monsoon feels magical5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoon123Hot PicksRam temple donationNATO SummitKhamenei funeralJoSAA Counselling 2026Mumbai school holidayMumbai rainBank holidayMumbai schools holidayMumbai-Pune expresswayTop TrendingOzempic ShaadiDelhi rainNainital Sex RacketFIFA World Cup 2026Bengal rapeDelhi ozempic caseMumbai rainBank holiday todayIndian rupeeKCET mock seat allotment

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear plea which alleged that some of the accused in the Tamil Nadu’s Karur stampede case are trying to influence witnesses after being appointed as minister in the Vijay-led government.A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu has agreed to hear the matter on Tuesday.The stampede occurred last year during the political rally of TVK.Earlier on July 3, DMK moved the apex court seeking a judicial direction to bar TVK leader including chief minster Joseph Vijay and minister Adhav Arjuna from making “threatening” public statements or public statements in connection with the Karur stampede during the ongoing CBI investigation/The application has been filed by RS Bharathi, Organising Secretary of the DMK, seeking to be impleaded as a respondent in the proceedings arising out of the September 27, 2025 Karur stampede, in which 41 people lost their lives, and 142 others were injured during a TVK rally.Referring to a speech delivered on July 2 by Aadhav Arjuna, who is also an accused in the case, the application alleged that the minister publicly declared there was “a score to settle” and accused the previous DMK government of being responsible for the deaths in Karur.According to the plea, such statements by a sitting Cabinet Minister who is himself facing investigation are “wholly impermissible during the pendency of the investigation and are liable to prejudice the fairness of the ongoing process monitored by this Hon’ble Court.”The application further alleged that the speech “is intended to interfere with the investigation of CBI appointed by this Hon’ble Court and calculated to create a public perception that DMK and its leadership is responsible for the incident for political gains.”It also referred to media reports indicating that chief minister Vijay is likely to visit Karur on July 10 to distribute government benefits, including compassionate appointments, to the families of those who died in the stampede.(This is a developing story)Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Super Emergency’: TMC Claims Police Barricaded Mamata Banerjee’s House Before Baruipur VisitBadrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Donation Irregularity ClaimsMumbai Monsoon Horror: 63-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls On ShopCentre Denies Reports That Bhutan Rejected India’s E20 Petrol ProposalPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s $1.4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political Row123PhotostoriesWhat is mom guilt? Psychologists explain the silent feeling millions of mothers experience every dayFrom Chilla to Dosa: 7 high-protein desi breakfasts made with oats and paneerDaily weight loss pill available in UK pharmacies: Who can buy and how, how much they cost, how to take them, and more — all you need to knowQuote of the day by Neem Karoli Baba: “God will give you everything you need for your spiritual development. Hold on to nothing.”; What Maharaj ji advices on having faith in God and leaving attachment to material possessions5 most common cancers affecting men in India and the early symptoms that could save livesIs it normal forgetfulness or Alzheimer’s disease? Doctor reveals the warning signs you should never ignoreSonam Kapoor’s Punit Balana look had more drama than Anshula Kapoor’s mehendi playlist, and we loved every bit of itTop 5 most active dog breeds5 grasslands in India where the monsoon feels magical5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoon123Hot PicksRam temple donationNATO SummitKhamenei funeralJoSAA Counselling 2026Mumbai school holidayMumbai rainBank holidayMumbai schools holidayMumbai-Pune expresswayTop TrendingOzempic ShaadiDelhi rainNainital Sex RacketFIFA World Cup 2026Bengal rapeDelhi ozempic caseMumbai rainBank holiday todayIndian rupeeKCET mock seat allotment

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear plea which alleged that some of the accused in the Tamil Nadu’s Karur stampede case are trying to influence witnesses after being appointed as minister in the Vijay-led government.A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Sheel Nagu has agreed to hear the matter on Tuesday.The…

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FIFA World Cup: Freak celebration injury! England’s Jordan Henderson rushed to hospital after Mexico thriller – Watch | Football News

FIFA World Cup: Freak celebration injury! England’s Jordan Henderson rushed to hospital after Mexico thriller – Watch | Football News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

England’s Jordan Henderson is looked after by training staff following an injury. (AP Photo) England’s memorable FIFA World Cup victory over Mexico was overshadowed by a freak post-match injury to veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson, who was rushed to hospital after suffering what manager Thomas Tuchel described as a “really bad” wrist injury during the celebrations…

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KCET 2026 mock seat allotment released; KEA activates result link, option editing begins for candidates

KCET 2026 mock seat allotment released; KEA activates result link, option editing begins for candidates

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

KCET 2026 mock seat allotment out at KEA portal; direct result link active for Round 1 candidates The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the KCET 2026 Round 1 mock seat allotment result on its official counselling portal. Candidates who completed the option entry process can now check their tentative allotment by logging in with…

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‘The Odyssey’: Tom Holland thought Christopher Nolan hates him: ‘Does he not like what we’re doing?’

‘The Odyssey’: Tom Holland thought Christopher Nolan hates him: ‘Does he not like what we’re doing?’

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

Tom Holland shares how he thought Christopher Nolan hated him because he kept stopping his shots during ‘The Odyssey’ filming. Christopher Nolan’s latest project, ‘The Odyssey’, has created quite a lot of buzz in the market. With the release date approaching soon, fans have been left wondering about the project and have been awaiting more…

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Updated: Jul 06, 2026, 10:47 IST

Updated: Jul 06, 2026, 10:47 IST

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

England’s Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Mexico and England in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Jude Bellingham etched his name into the FIFA World Cup record books after scoring the third-fastest brace in tournament history during…

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Women’s T20 World Cup final: Money, Litchfield, bowlers star as Australia clinch 7th title

Women’s T20 World Cup final: Money, Litchfield, bowlers star as Australia clinch 7th title

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

Australia Women’s team, rewriting history Normal services has resumed in women’s international cricket. Australia are back. After losing in back-to-back semifinals, the Australian women’s team, led by a new captain in Sophie Molineux, has clinched a World Cup again.Powered by a magnificent half-century by experienced campaigner Beth Mooney (64, 49b, 10×4) and explosive young gun…

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Atlee reveals his biggest regret at ‘Idhayam Murali’ event: ‘I couldn’t make another love story after ‘Raja Rani”

Atlee reveals his biggest regret at ‘Idhayam Murali’ event: ‘I couldn’t make another love story after ‘Raja Rani”

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

The pre-release event of ‘Idhayam Murali’ turned into a memorable evening as filmmaker Atlee shared heartfelt thoughts about the film, its director Aakash Baskaran, and his own journey in cinema. The romantic entertainer, starring Atharvaa, is all set to hit theatres on July 10 and has already created a strong buzz with its trailer. While…

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Himani Shivpuri’s home ‘Shail Shikhar’ is a typical mountain retreat with a calm and soothing colour palette: Art inspirations to steal

Himani Shivpuri’s home ‘Shail Shikhar’ is a typical mountain retreat with a calm and soothing colour palette: Art inspirations to steal

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Veteran actress Himani Shivpuri has unveiled her serene Mussoorie home, ‘Shail Shikhar,’ a haven of simple living and artistic touches. The abode embraces a calming grey and white palette, allowing curated furniture and art to shine. From a vibrant orange room featuring a cow canvas to playful floral accents and elegantly lined sofas, Shivpuri’s home…

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A scientist built 200 hotels for bees. Three years later, the guests he found changed what we know about pollinators and biodiversity

A scientist built 200 hotels for bees. Three years later, the guests he found changed what we know about pollinators and biodiversity

Vamsikrishna05 mins mins

Hotels are usually built for travellers, but some are designed for creatures no bigger than your thumb. Scientists and conservationists have spent years creating these miniature refuges for wild bees in the form of small nesting structures fitted with narrow tunnels that mimic the hollow stems and cavities many solitary bee species naturally use to…

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Illustration: Uday Deb So, you’ve been using AI to make office work a bit easier. Or perhaps you’re using it to help stick to your healthy-eating goals. But did you know that AI has also made it easy — frighteningly easy — to pull off all sorts of digital scams? The fraudsters were always there, and so were their targets. It’s the cloak of credibility, the air of plausibility in which AI has helped dress up digital scams that’s scary. Thanks to AI, potential defrauders don’t have to actually know any of the tech stuff themselves. They just need a Telegram account, a few thousand rupees, and the ‘right’ places to go on the web: the “Fraud-as-a-Service” (FaaS) platforms.It is as easy as e-commerce. Dissatisfied customers even get their money back.Cybersecurity experts who scour the shadowy corners of the dark web say the FaaS model borrows directly from the ‘software-as-a service’, or ‘SaaS’, economy. And platforms with names that leave little to the imagination — FraudGPT, WormGPT, EvilGPT, DarkBard and DarkWizardAI — are all part of a growing ecosystem in which fraud tools are packaged, updated and sold.The way it works is simple: a potential scammer goes to the site and subscribes to the scam toolkit required. From AI-generated phishing mails tailored by a victim’s job, location, role, geography or financial behaviour, to sending out fake emergency calls from relatives, and from deepfake KYC videos to using AI voices or deepfakes to impersonate officials who threaten digital arrest, it’s possible to pull off any scam for a small fee.‘Industrialisation of fraud’“FaaS schemes are almost indistinguishable from how normal, legal businesses operate — constantly optimising their return on investment through scalable tactics,” says a report by Juniper Research, a UK-based market intelligence and analyst firm.QuoteIt’s the “industrialisation of fraud”, says Srinivas L, joint MD and joint CEO of 63SATS Cybertech, a cybersecurity solutions firm. “If you have about Rs 2,000 and a Telegram account, you can easily perpetrate fraud — and you don’t have to write a single line of code,” Srinivas explains.Vishal Gauri, CEO of data security company Seclore Technology, says the biggest change is the collapse of the skill barrier. “The attacker no longer needs technical knowhow; they just need to subscribe. These FaaS platforms come with documentation, customer support and version updates. The operating model is enterprise SaaS for criminals,” he says.AI has also made scaling up easier. A fraudster can now generate thousands of personalised phishing emails in different languages, clone voices from short audio clips, create deepfake KYC videos, and automate messages tailored to a victim’s job, location or financial behaviour.“AI generates personalisation at scale,” Gauri says. “The same FaaS platform can produce one lakh tailored phishing emails or 1,000 deepfake calls in hours, each targeted by role, geography and language.”Citing US-based cybersecurity firm DeepStrike’s 2025 report, he says FaaS offerings on the dark web marketplaces grew by more than 120% year-on-year. These marketplaces processed .4 billion in transaction volume in 2025, while daily Tor (The Onion Router, a free, open-source software network designed to enable anonymous internet communication, not illegal in itself) users rose from 3 million in 2024 to 4.6 million in 2025.Scamsters’ paradiseAcross FaaS platforms, the commonest product sold is the phishing kit. In underground circles, some of these packages are known as ‘SCAMA’. They include fake login pages designed to mimic those of banks, e-commerce companies, govt-facing platforms and public services such as IRCTC. Depending on the number of templates and services bundled, such kits can cost between Rs 500 and Rs 8,500 a month.Once bought, they are used to send texts, emails or links that appear to come from legitimate companies. Victims are directed to fake pages, where they enter usernames, passwords, card details, UPI PINs or other credentials. The fraudster does not need to build the page or understand how the backend works. The kit does it all.But phishing is only one part of the larger business. The fraud supply chain now includes identity datasets, mule account networks, SIM cards, OTP interception tools, fake customer care centres, deepfake video tools, KYC bypass services and payment-routing systems.Ranjan Reddy, founder and CEO of Bureau, a US-based fraud prevention and identity intelligence platform, says the underground market has evolved from merely selling leaked data to selling complete fraud modules. “If you want to launch a romance scam, you can buy the entire module,” he says.A basic subscription may cost (Rs 1,902) a month for templates, while (Rs 4,755) may include live support over Telegram or WhatsApp. Deepfake KYC subscriptions, he said, can cost about 0 (Rs 15,220) and allow users to create large numbers of fake accounts.India’s weak spotsMule accounts are among India’s most serious problems, Srinivas says. Young jobseekers are lured through Telegram and WhatsApp groups with offers of quick money — sometimes Rs 5,000 a week — for allowing transactions through their bank accounts. Many do not realise they are helping launder the proceeds of cybercrime.India’s vulnerability is amplified by the speed of its digital adoption. UPI has made transfers instant, and millions of first-time digital users from Tier-2 and -3 markets now transact online daily. But digital literacy, experts say, has not kept pace with access. “India has become a big target. UPI is the Ferrari car that we built without brakes,” Srinivas says, pointing out that nearly 86% of Indian households are online, while many users still lack what he calls a “fraud reflex”.Bureau data shows that a complete identity profile can be assembled for under Rs 400.“What once required technical expertise and established criminal connections now requires only a payment,” Bureau says in its report ‘India Fraud Report 2026: Digital Fraud at Scale’. According to data provided by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, India lost Rs 22,495 crore to cybercrime in 2025, a 24% increase over 2024. The country registered 28.15 lakh cybercrime cases. Investment scams accounted for 76% of losses, while digital arrest scams made up 9%.QuoteBanks have shared 18.43 lakh suspect identifiers and 24.67 lakh mule accounts through the I4C registry, helping prevent fraud worth about Rs 8,031 crore. But industry executives say attacks continue to rise.Fraud hubs have also spread beyond Jamtara, with locations such as Nuh, Alwar, Bharatpur, Mathura, Bokaro, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Visakhapatnam under increased scrutiny.Companies under attackConsumer platforms, too, are increasingly being hit — by refund abuse, reseller fraud, fake accounts and account-takeover attacks. Bureau estimates reseller-driven leakage at 2% to 5% of gross merchandise value for large e-commerce platforms. Food delivery platforms alone see fraud volumes of Rs 10 crore to Rs 30 crore a month per platform.Images generated using AI are being used to fake damaged products or incorrect deliveries, enabling fraudulent refunds. In other cases, a single device cycles through hundreds of accounts to harvest promotions before targeting accounts with saved payment instruments.Citing research data, Gauri says 82.6% of phishing emails are now AI-generated. Around 47% of Indian adults have either been victims of, or know someone who has been a victim of, an AI voicecloning or deepfake scam, he adds, citing BioCatch data.Defences are catching upCybersecurity firms are trying to respond to the threats at different points in the chain.Ashish Tondon, CEO and founder of Indusface, says AI is helping attackers discover vulnerabilities in existing applications at machine speed. “These are not new classes of vulnerabilities,” he says. “Because of machine speed, what was found in days and months is now being found in minutes.”Digital scams, in 11 easy stepsHyderabad-based Blue Cloud Softech Solutions is focusing on dark-web monitoring through Blutor, while 63SATS Cybertech is targeting citizen-facing defence through CYBX, a cybersecurity app with embedded insurance.Seclore is focusing on enterprise data protection. Gauri says every exposed file, credential, prompt history or unmasked record inside an AI pipeline can become raw material for fraud.Identifying the real threatLawenforcement agencies are also trying to catch up. Hyderabad cybercrime police say they have not yet come across scamsters directly using such AI tools in local cases, but acknowledge that the ecosystem has become much more organised and transnational.“Previously, cybercrime involved isolated incidents with most of the players from India. But now it is becoming more organised, modernised and international. Fraudsters seem to be using new technologies and modernised tools and networks such as AI tools, mule accounts, SIM networks and digital platforms to exploit loopholes in our systems,” says Arvind Voleti, DCP Cybercrime, Hyderabad.Voleti says data leakage is a major concern and that enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act would strengthen accountability.For cybersecurity firms and law enforcement agencies, the lesson is clear: fraud can no longer be treated as scattered crimes investigated after victims lose money. It is now an industry with subscriptions, infrastructure, service desks, upgrades and global payment channels.“The question is not about being Digital India. We have to be a trusted Digital India, and that requires treating fraud as an industry to dismantle and not as a crime that just needs to be looked at,” Srinivas says.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorSwati BharadwajSwati Bharadwaj is a business journalist with 30 years of experience covering a host of sectors – right from technology, GCCs, talent, cybersecurity, pharma & biotech, aerospace & defence, BFSI, gems & jewellery to automotive, hospitality, infrastructure, retail, among others. She has worked with TOI and ET across multiple cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Super Emergency’: TMC Claims Police Barricaded Mamata Banerjee’s House Before Baruipur VisitBadrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Donation Irregularity ClaimsMumbai Monsoon Horror: 63-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls On ShopCentre Denies Reports That Bhutan Rejected India’s E20 Petrol ProposalPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s .4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political Row123PhotostoriesFrom Chilla to Dosa: 7 high-protein desi breakfasts made with oats and paneerDaily weight loss pill available in UK pharmacies: Who can buy and how, how much they cost, how to take them, and more — all you need to knowQuote of the day by Neem Karoli Baba: “God will give you everything you need for your spiritual development. Hold on to nothing.”; What Maharaj ji advices on having faith in God and leaving attachment to material possessions5 most common cancers affecting men in India and the early symptoms that could save livesIs it normal forgetfulness or Alzheimer’s disease? Doctor reveals the warning signs you should never ignoreSonam Kapoor’s Punit Balana look had more drama than Anshula Kapoor’s mehendi playlist, and we loved every bit of itTop 5 most active dog breeds5 grasslands in India where the monsoon feels magical5 things to expect at India’s widest waterfall during the monsoonHigh cholesterol often has no symptoms, says AHA: These 10 guidelines could help protect your heart123Hot PicksNHL Trade RumorHarrison ButkerTaylor and Travis Wedding PhotosIndia Passport Ranking SlipsBSUSC applicationsMumbai rainDelhi MurderMumbai schools holidayMumbai-Pune expresswayTop TrendingOzempic ShaadiDelhi rainBrittany MahomesFIFA World Cup 2026Mamata BanerjeeBengaluru Capgemini DaycareKetan AgarwalFrance FIFA World CupNFL Trade RumorVozinha

Illustration: Uday Deb So, you’ve been using AI to make office work a bit easier. Or perhaps you’re using it to help stick to your healthy-eating goals. But did you know that AI has also made it easy — frighteningly easy — to pull off all sorts of digital scams? The fraudsters were always there, and so were their targets. It’s the cloak of credibility, the air of plausibility in which AI has helped dress up digital scams that’s scary. Thanks to AI, potential defrauders don’t have to actually know any of the tech stuff themselves. They just need a Telegram account, a few thousand rupees, and the ‘right’ places to go on the web: the “Fraud-as-a-Service” (FaaS) platforms.It is as easy as e-commerce. Dissatisfied customers even get their money back.Cybersecurity experts who scour the shadowy corners of the dark web say the FaaS model borrows directly from the ‘software-as-a service’, or ‘SaaS’, economy. And platforms with names that leave little to the imagination — FraudGPT, WormGPT, EvilGPT, DarkBard and DarkWizardAI — are all part of a growing ecosystem in which fraud tools are packaged, updated and sold.The way it works is simple: a potential scammer goes to the site and subscribes to the scam toolkit required. From AI-generated phishing mails tailored by a victim’s job, location, role, geography or financial behaviour, to sending out fake emergency calls from relatives, and from deepfake KYC videos to using AI voices or deepfakes to impersonate officials who threaten digital arrest, it’s possible to pull off any scam for a small fee.‘Industrialisation of fraud’“FaaS schemes are almost indistinguishable from how normal, legal businesses operate — constantly optimising their return on investment through scalable tactics,” says a report by Juniper Research, a UK-based market intelligence and analyst firm.QuoteIt’s the “industrialisation of fraud”, says Srinivas L, joint MD and joint CEO of 63SATS Cybertech, a cybersecurity solutions firm. “If you have about Rs 2,000 and a Telegram account, you can easily perpetrate fraud — and you don’t have to write a single line of code,” Srinivas explains.Vishal Gauri, CEO of data security company Seclore Technology, says the biggest change is the collapse of the skill barrier. “The attacker no longer needs technical knowhow; they just need to subscribe. These FaaS platforms come with documentation, customer support and version updates. The operating model is enterprise SaaS for criminals,” he says.AI has also made scaling up easier. A fraudster can now generate thousands of personalised phishing emails in different languages, clone voices from short audio clips, create deepfake KYC videos, and automate messages tailored to a victim’s job, location or financial behaviour.“AI generates personalisation at scale,” Gauri says. “The same FaaS platform can produce one lakh tailored phishing emails or 1,000 deepfake calls in hours, each targeted by role, geography and language.”Citing US-based cybersecurity firm DeepStrike’s 2025 report, he says FaaS offerings on the dark web marketplaces grew by more than 120% year-on-year. These marketplaces processed $3.4 billion in transaction volume in 2025, while daily Tor (The Onion Router, a free, open-source software network designed to enable anonymous internet communication, not illegal in itself) users rose from 3 million in 2024 to 4.6 million in 2025.Scamsters’ paradiseAcross FaaS platforms, the commonest product sold is the phishing kit. In underground circles, some of these packages are known as ‘SCAMA’. They include fake login pages designed to mimic those of banks, e-commerce companies, govt-facing platforms and public services such as IRCTC. Depending on the number of templates and services bundled, such kits can cost between Rs 500 and Rs 8,500 a month.Once bought, they are used to send texts, emails or links that appear to come from legitimate companies. Victims are directed to fake pages, where they enter usernames, passwords, card details, UPI PINs or other credentials. The fraudster does not need to build the page or understand how the backend works. The kit does it all.But phishing is only one part of the larger business. The fraud supply chain now includes identity datasets, mule account networks, SIM cards, OTP interception tools, fake customer care centres, deepfake video tools, KYC bypass services and payment-routing systems.Ranjan Reddy, founder and CEO of Bureau, a US-based fraud prevention and identity intelligence platform, says the underground market has evolved from merely selling leaked data to selling complete fraud modules. “If you want to launch a romance scam, you can buy the entire module,” he says.A basic subscription may cost $20 (Rs 1,902) a month for templates, while $50 (Rs 4,755) may include live support over Telegram or WhatsApp. Deepfake KYC subscriptions, he said, can cost about $160 (Rs 15,220) and allow users to create large numbers of fake accounts.India’s weak spotsMule accounts are among India’s most serious problems, Srinivas says. Young jobseekers are lured through Telegram and WhatsApp groups with offers of quick money — sometimes Rs 5,000 a week — for allowing transactions through their bank accounts. Many do not realise they are helping launder the proceeds of cybercrime.India’s vulnerability is amplified by the speed of its digital adoption. UPI has made transfers instant, and millions of first-time digital users from Tier-2 and -3 markets now transact online daily. But digital literacy, experts say, has not kept pace with access. “India has become a big target. UPI is the Ferrari car that we built without brakes,” Srinivas says, pointing out that nearly 86% of Indian households are online, while many users still lack what he calls a “fraud reflex”.Bureau data shows that a complete identity profile can be assembled for under Rs 400.“What once required technical expertise and established criminal connections now requires only a payment,” Bureau says in its report ‘India Fraud Report 2026: Digital Fraud at Scale’. According to data provided by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, India lost Rs 22,495 crore to cybercrime in 2025, a 24% increase over 2024. The country registered 28.15 lakh cybercrime cases. Investment scams accounted for 76% of losses, while digital arrest scams made up 9%.QuoteBanks have shared 18.43 lakh suspect identifiers and 24.67 lakh mule accounts through the I4C registry, helping prevent fraud worth about Rs 8,031 crore. But industry executives say attacks continue to rise.Fraud hubs have also spread beyond Jamtara, with locations such as Nuh, Alwar, Bharatpur, Mathura, Bokaro, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Visakhapatnam under increased scrutiny.Companies under attackConsumer platforms, too, are increasingly being hit — by refund abuse, reseller fraud, fake accounts and account-takeover attacks. Bureau estimates reseller-driven leakage at 2% to 5% of gross merchandise value for large e-commerce platforms. Food delivery platforms alone see fraud volumes of Rs 10 crore to Rs 30 crore a month per platform.Images generated using AI are being used to fake damaged products or incorrect deliveries, enabling fraudulent refunds. In other cases, a single device cycles through hundreds of accounts to harvest promotions before targeting accounts with saved payment instruments.Citing research data, Gauri says 82.6% of phishing emails are now AI-generated. Around 47% of Indian adults have either been victims of, or know someone who has been a victim of, an AI voicecloning or deepfake scam, he adds, citing BioCatch data.Defences are catching upCybersecurity firms are trying to respond to the threats at different points in the chain.Ashish Tondon, CEO and founder of Indusface, says AI is helping attackers discover vulnerabilities in existing applications at machine speed. “These are not new classes of vulnerabilities,” he says. “Because of machine speed, what was found in days and months is now being found in minutes.”Digital scams, in 11 easy stepsHyderabad-based Blue Cloud Softech Solutions is focusing on dark-web monitoring through Blutor, while 63SATS Cybertech is targeting citizen-facing defence through CYBX, a cybersecurity app with embedded insurance.Seclore is focusing on enterprise data protection. Gauri says every exposed file, credential, prompt history or unmasked record inside an AI pipeline can become raw material for fraud.Identifying the real threatLawenforcement agencies are also trying to catch up. Hyderabad cybercrime police say they have not yet come across scamsters directly using such AI tools in local cases, but acknowledge that the ecosystem has become much more organised and transnational.“Previously, cybercrime involved isolated incidents with most of the players from India. But now it is becoming more organised, modernised and international. Fraudsters seem to be using new technologies and modernised tools and networks such as AI tools, mule accounts, SIM networks and digital platforms to exploit loopholes in our systems,” says Arvind Voleti, DCP Cybercrime, Hyderabad.Voleti says data leakage is a major concern and that enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act would strengthen accountability.For cybersecurity firms and law enforcement agencies, the lesson is clear: fraud can no longer be treated as scattered crimes investigated after victims lose money. It is now an industry with subscriptions, infrastructure, service desks, upgrades and global payment channels.“The question is not about being Digital India. We have to be a trusted Digital India, and that requires treating fraud as an industry to dismantle and not as a crime that just needs to be looked at,” Srinivas says.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.About the AuthorSwati BharadwajSwati Bharadwaj is a business journalist with 30 years of experience covering a host of sectors – right from technology, GCCs, talent, cybersecurity, pharma & biotech, aerospace & defence, BFSI, gems & jewellery to automotive, hospitality, infrastructure, retail, among others. She has worked with TOI and ET across multiple cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Super Emergency’: TMC Claims Police Barricaded Mamata Banerjee’s House Before Baruipur VisitBadrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Donation Irregularity ClaimsMumbai Monsoon Horror: 63-Year-Old Dies After Tree Falls On ShopCentre Denies Reports That Bhutan Rejected India’s E20 Petrol ProposalPoJK Protesters Seek Help From India’s Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh Regions Amid Pakistan’s CrackdownPrashant Kishor To Finally Contest Bankipur Bypoll, Jan Suraaj Names Founder As CandidateWhy Did China Reacted Sharply To Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s India Visit?Govt Cracks Down on Meta Over Alleged Child Sexual Abuse-Linked Instagram Ads, Seeks Reply in 7 DaysMamata Reassumes TMC Leadership As Dilip Ghosh Claims Party Is Crumbling Amid ResignationsWhy Adani’s $1.4 Billion Vizhinjam Port Stake Sale To MSC Has Triggered A Political Row123PhotostoriesFrom Chilla to Dosa: 7 high-protein desi breakfasts made with oats and paneerDaily weight loss pill available in UK pharmacies: Who can buy and how, how much they cost, how to take them, and more — all you need to knowQuote of the day by Neem Karoli Baba: “God will give you everything you need for your spiritual development. 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Vamsikrishna08 mins mins

So, you’ve been using AI to make office work a bit easier. Or perhaps you’re using it to help stick to your healthy-eating goals. But did you know that AI has also made it easy — frighteningly easy — to pull off all sorts of digital scams? The fraudsters were always there, and so were…

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Dasun Shanaka getting congratulated by teammates (X-Seattle Orcas) Dasun Shanaka delivered one of the most remarkable finishes in Cognizant Major League Cricket history, claiming the tournament’s first-ever double hat-trick to help the Seattle Orcas defend a modest total and seal a thrilling nine-run victory over the Texas Super Kings. Defending just 121, the Orcas looked…

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Arjun Rampal marked ‘Dhurandhar’ co-star Ranveer Singh’s birthday with a heartfelt social media post. The actor lead the cheer brigade and extended his best wishes to the birthday boy as he turned 41 today.Taking to Instagram, Rampal posted candid moments featuring himself and Ranveer from the shoot, and offered fans a peek at their off-screen…

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