• How to spot fake currency

    Typically, larger denomination notes are more prone to counterfeiting. So here are the key features that is useful to know about the new series the ‘hari patti’ aka ₹500 – Obverse (front) side – Reverse side of the note – It turns out that that since 2013-14 to 2022-23 there’s been a 68% drop in…

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  • Fraud in Cooperative Banks

    My grand uncle (who I remember very fondly) lived two blocks away. Most weekends, I’d drop by, and without fail he’d launch into a rant about his cooperative bank. He kept warning members at his non-profit, they need to pull out the funds “before this circus tent collapses on us.” Nobody listened. And of course,…

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  • What hit the fan at WazirX

    Cyber Heist at an Indian crypto exchange WazirX, an Indian crypto exchange got hit by one of the worst cyber heists on an Indian exchange and funds lost exceeded $230 million. Typically, crypto heists would not entirely be in my wheelhouse, but financial fraud that size always gets me curious. Been poking around their blog…

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  • Fake Embassy Fraud

    Since this last weekend, when I saw this juicy fraud story pop on a news channel, gotta admit, I’ve been salivating to write about it. A man called Harshvardhan Jain: was running a fraudulent embassy for a micronation, for almost a decade, and went unnoticed! This  D-I-Y embassy was run out of a swank little…

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  • The Devil Wears (Counterfeit) Prada

    If, like me, you’ve spent a lifetime in banking fraud, the word counterfeit almost automatically implies counterfeiting of plastics (bank cards) and checks. However, since the advent of what is commonly called chip and pin technology and the famous liability shift to merchants, with the right decline rules that sort of plastic counterfeiting should be…

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  • The Billionaire Bad Boy

    Those who watched the series ‘Bad Boy Billionaire’ on Netflix, probably know about gory details of the Rs. 11,400 Crore financial fraud perpetrated by Nirav Modi. As someone that fights fraud, I was curious to know more about this very intriguing “Bad Boy.” Pavan C. Lall in his book “Flawed: The Rise and Fall of…

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  • Shaken, Not Stirred

    Learn all about Caller ID spoofing and STIR / SHAKEN protocol Lately I chanced upon a scam story that instantly caught my attention. A PhD scholar (no less) was tricked by a bunch of crooks on Instagram. She had had a break up with her boyfriend 6 months back. The scammers promise her that by…

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  • Online Gaming, Online Gambling

    I wondered whenever I passed by Mumbai’s sprawling Mahalaxmi Race Course, why betting on horses was legal in India, if gambling was supposedly illegal. Turns out, there is a distinction between a ‘game of skill’ and a ‘game of chance’, as per the Public Gambling Act (1867). Therefore, while betting on horses is considered a…

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  • Cybercrime is Terror’s new BFF

    If you ever wondered where all the millions lost to cybercrime and scams go and what damage they could do, read more below: Delhi Police’s special cell was investigating the case of cryptocurrency worth Rs. 4 Crore that was stolen from the wallet of West Delhi businessman. This was back in 2021. They tried to…

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  • 18 Tips to Make your Facebook Private and Secure

    Find Facebook settings enormously complicated and layered? You’re not alone. With so many menus, submenus, and privacy options hidden deep within navigation loops, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If you struggle to keep track of where to go and what to change in order to truly protect your information, this guide is for you. I’ve…

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