Tag Archive for: DoT

Top 3 Green Dot Phishing Scams 2022: Fake COVID-19 Assistance, Security Alert, and Bonus Benefit Program

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Have you received any messages from Green Dot Corporation, the famous prepaid card issuer in the United States? Recently we’ve seen a wave of phishing attempts disguised as Green Dot — don’t fall for them!

How Green Dot Phishing Texts Work

Posing as Green Dot, scammers send you text messages with phishing links and try hard to lure you into clicking them. Their excuses may vary, for example, fake security alerts, bogus gift offering, or a fake COVID-19 benefit program.

No matter which tactics they use, the scammers’ ultimate goal is your personal information. Once you click on the attached phishing link, it will take you to either a fake Green Dot log-in page where you’re asked to enter a user ID and password, or an online form that collects other personal data.

Top 3 Green Dot Phishing Scams

#1 Fake COVID-19 Assistance

Scammers promote a non-existing COVID-19 benefit program and prompt you to apply for it via the phishing link. Don’t get scammed!

  • This is from the greendot company, in conjuction with the US Federal Government for the assistance for the COVID-19 benefit. To all qualified GreenDot Bank users to access the free payment of $10,000. This payment requires absolutely no time as it’s free. To claim funds visit and fill the form below; ¬†   {URL}
  • Hello my name is Janet Laura. Have you being contacted by the GREENDOT BANK for COVID-19 Assistant, I got $5,000 every month as a benefit payment to pay off my bills . You don’t have to pay it back,Mind you this is real and legitimate For more information Visit {URL}

The attached link leads you to a site made by Wixsite, and it’s definitely NOT legitimate! (Note: the genuine web address of a Green Dot website should end in greendot.com.)

Scam Alert_Green Dot_COVID_20220623png

#2 Fake Green Dot Benefit Program

Besides the pandemic, a $1,000 bonus also serves as a great hook to entice you:

  • Hello Green Dot Bank is giving out a $1,000 bonus to all Green Dot Bank customers and all FDIC bank accounts member users click on the link below to claim your bonus. {URL}
  • Hello my name is Trevor Kristen.. Have you being contacted by the GREEN DOT COMPANY?. I got $100,000 in my Green Dot when i apply for it and you don’t have…

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dot: Telecom companies told to keep call data, internet-use records for 2 years

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NEW DELHI: Department of Telecom (DoT) has extended the duration of archiving call data and internet usage records of subscribers to two years from one year due to security reasons.
The amendments in the licences were issued on December 21 and extended to other forms of telecom permits on December 22.
“The licensee shall maintain all commercial records/call detail record/exchange detail record/IP detail record with record to the communications exchanged on the network. Such records shall be archived for at least two years for scrutiny by the licensor for security reasons…,” the DoT circular said.
Telecom companies may destroy the data stored thereafter if there is no direction from the DoT thereafter. The circular said the amendment is necessary in “public interest or in the interest of the security of the state or for the proper conduct of the telegraphs”.
The amendment mandates telecom companies to maintain internet data records of subscribers, including login and logout details of all subscribers for services provided such as internet access, e-mail, internet telephony services like calls made from mobile applications or wifi calling for at least two years.
Earlier, the rules of the telecom department mandated the archival of call data and internet usage records for at least 1 year.
The order was issued because of security reasons. Earlier, the rules mandated that call data and internet-usage records be saved for a year.

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Amid cyber risks, no data storage on cloud services; action if leakage: DoT to staff

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With incidents of cyber attacks on government’s official email ids and websites on the rise, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued fresh instructions to its employees asking them not to store any official and classified information on private cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and others.

If any such information is stored on these private cloud services, the employee storing such data may be liable for penal action in case of a data breach, the DoT said in a communication to all its staff.

Further, any kind of classified work must be “strictly be carried out only in a standalone computer which is not connected to internet”, the DoT said.

Employees have also been asked to avoid, when on officials tours, any mobile or internet-based service that requires their location, “unless it is necessary for discharge of office duties”.

These instructions are a part of the DoT’s instructions on best information security practices. Last year in July, the telecom department had written to all web portals and websites within its ambit to conduct a security audit and submit a compliance certificate as soon as possible.

The Telecom Ministry had then also written to all other ministries and departments requesting them to migrate their websites and web-portals to the ‘gov.in’ domain by August 31, 2020 if they had not done so already.

A similar letter was sent by DoTto all web portals and websites yielded no results. In that letter, dated October 7, the DoT had said that a security audit was necessary for the “robustness of information systems and associated networks”.

The letter was sent after the DoT was alerted that “data exfiltration” was taking place from one of the web portals of the ministry that did not have a valid cyber-security audit. Data exfiltration occurs when a malware or a virus gains unauthorised access to any computer connected to a network.

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