More than 100 websites that facilitated illegal investments and part-time job fraud were recently blocked based on a recommendation from the Union Home Ministry. These websites were found to be operated by foreign actors. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), a division of the Union Home Ministry, identified these websites through its National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) and recommended their blocking. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) then utilized its authority under the Information Technology Act, 2000 to block these websites.
The blocked websites were involved in illegal investments and economic crimes. They were operated by foreign actors and used digital advertising, chat messengers, and mule and surrogate accounts. The Ministry of Home Affairs launched the I4C initiative to combat cyber crimes in a coordinated manner. Earlier this year, MeitY blocked 232 apps, including Chinese ones, for their involvement in betting, gambling, and unauthorized lending services. Among the blocked websites were fintech firms LazyPay, Indiabulls Home Loan, and Kisht. MeitY specifically ordered the blocking of LazyPay.in, a subsidiary of Dutch investment firm Prosus.