INDIA: Did you know India witnesses 500 cases of sextortion every day? Sextortion scams are the biggest threats on the internet, and EPIC ON’s upcoming web series is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that tackles this subject.

‘Video Cam Scam’ starring Amruta Khanvilkar and Rajneish Duggall, is a twist-and-turn-filled tale about a husband and wife battling the dark and deadly forces behind the shocking online crime known as ‘sextortion’.

Scheduled to release on 12^th January, the series follows Vinay Kumar, an honest and upright police officer, and Priya, his kind and loving wife. The picture-perfect couple is pulled into the sinful world of sextortion when Vinay gets trapped in this wicked web.

Will Vinay be proven innocent? Can Priya save her husband? 

The Blue Drop Films production answers these enthralling questions while also serving as a timely reminder against the dangers of the internet. The show also stars Farnaz Shetty, Kunj Anand, Rahul Singh, Aradhana Sharma, and Pritam Singh in pivotal roles.

Sharing his comments on their second web show, Sourjya Mohanty, COO, of EPIC ON, said, “At EPIC ON, we endeavor to unveil diverse and novel stories. While our first release was a witty con caper, our second show is a thrilling and unfiltered look at the darker side of the internet that many Indians don’t know of. Video Cam Scam will keep you hooked till the end, while also sharing an important message”.

Talking about the project, AmrutaKhanvilkar said, “Video Cam Scam is a thrilling and entertaining drama with a pertinent message. The story seamlessly blends thrills and suspense with a real and relevant subject. What drew me towards my character was how she switches from devoted wife to a headstrong warrior at her own will”.

Sharing his thoughts on the series, Rajneish Duggall said, “The first time I read the script of this show, I was quite taken aback by how deep and dark the world of sextortion runs in India. When I read the way Vinay has to battle all odds to get justice, I knew this was a role that I couldn’t say no to”.

‘Video Cam Scam’ marks EPIC ON’s second coveted release post the success of ‘Tatlubaaz’. After starting with an entertaining bang, EPIC ON looks all set to capture eyeballs again with a scintillating tale of crime, love, sin, and justice in the digital world.

‘Video Cam Scam’, a Blue Drop Films production starring Rajneish Duggall and Amruta Khanvilkar, starts streaming on EPIC ON from 12^th January 2024. 

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UNITED STATES: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to combat unsolicited communications, including email and text spam, scams, and illegal telemarketing. The MOU aims to promote cross-border collaboration between public authorities who are members of the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network (UCENet).

The FTC and FCC have signed the MOU to fight robocalls and other unsolicited communications that try to prey on consumers. The MOU is a non-binding instrument that facilitates information sharing, capacity building, and enforcement assistance among the partners. The MOU has been renewed and made evergreen, given the success of the collaboration under the original document.

“The FTC is committed to using all of its tools to fight robocalls and other unsolicited communications that try to prey on consumers,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “This scourge does not respect borders, and our recommitment to this MOU underscores the importance of international communication and cooperation to combat this problem.”

The UCENet MOU is part of the FTC’s continuing work to fight harms that can arise from unwanted messages. Unsolicited communications in the form of illegal and spoofed robocalls, text messages, and emails are often the source of scams that harm millions of consumers in the United States each year. The revised MOU has also been signed by UCENet partners in Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The FTC’s work in this area includes its recent Operation Stop Scam Calls initiative, which united federal and state law enforcement partners from across the United States in their fight against illegal telemarketing operations and the companies that facilitate their scams via lead generation and telecommunications services. The effort also targeted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers who facilitate illegal robocalls every year, which often originate overseas.

The collaboration, information-sharing, and intelligence-sharing by UCENet MOU signatories serve to strengthen, enhance, and complement the work of the FTC and other domestic agencies fighting the scourge of unwanted and illegal telemarketing calls. The lead staffer on this matter was Kristina Mulligan in the Commission’s Office of International Affairs.

The FTC works with counterpart agencies to promote sound antitrust, consumer protection, and data privacy enforcement and policy. The renewed MOU between the FTC and FCC is a significant step towards combating unsolicited communications and protecting consumers from scams and illegal telemarketing.

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The first phase of the campaign involves interactive audio bytes of open-ended conversations between seniors and scammers. These engaging audio bytes have been designed to empower seniors with insights into the dynamic landscape of banking policies, including officious terms such as OTP and KYC. Columbia Pacific Communities has roped in Karnataka Bank as its knowledge partner to amplify the impact of this campaign with a comprehensive 60-minute online awareness session, ‘Unmasking Cyber Fraud for Seniors’ on August 17, 2023.

Renowned actor Poonam Dhillon has teamed up with Columbia Pacific Communities to empower seniors against cyber scams. In a compelling video message, Dhillon sheds light on the surge in cyber scam cases in India, particularly targeting seniors. She emphasizes the campaign’s goal, which is to transform seniors into #FraudFighters and safeguard their hard-earned money.

Piali Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Marketing, at Columbia Pacific Communities, said, “Our campaigns on the occasion of World Senior Citizens Day each year attempt to spark awareness and discussions around issues faced by senior citizens in our country. Considering the growing number of cybercrimes against the elderly, Columbia Pacific Communities decided to address the issue and empower seniors to safeguard their hard-earned money from cyber scammers.“

Various educative content, including an infographic around cybercrime, quizzes, and a video session helping seniors learn more about cybercrime, can be found on a dedicated microsite on the CPC website. Seniors are encouraged to share their personal experiences of online deception on the microsite. By sharing stories, seniors can contribute to collective learning and awareness.

The ongoing marquee annual event of Columbia Pacific Communities, Platform 2023, will culminate in the grand finale on August 21, World Senior Citizens Day. The recent campaign aligns with the brand’s core mission of amplifying the voices of seniors, nurturing their interests, and promoting the brand philosophy of positive aging.

Columbia Pacific Communities is India’s largest and most experienced senior living community operator with close to 1750 residential units under management in 5 cities and 10 locations across south India. It is committed to reimagining the concept of senior living in India and creating world-class practices that exceed the expectations of all stakeholders. It is part of the Columbia Pacific group, one of the foremost developers of senior living communities in the United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia.

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YAOUNDE, CAMEROON: The rapid growth of mobile money technology has disrupted the financial sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, fuelling social-economic transformation in many countries and the growth has provided considerable benefits to citizens looking to access reliable financial services.

In fact, Africa accounts for 70% of the world’s $1 trillion USD mobile money value. In 2021, the value of Africa’s mobile money transactions increased 39% to $701.4 billion USD from $495 billion USD in 2020, highlighting the future of banking in the continent as mobile money reduces transaction costs for users and helps households to manage their cash flows more effectively, manage risk and build working capital.

In Cameroon, the rise of mobile money has enabled 98% of the population to be covered by a mobile GSM network (2G and above), accelerating financial inclusion and improving the welfare of low-income households.

However, criminals have also discovered the opportunity this presents, and the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC) reported that cybercrime caused financial losses of 12.2 billion CFA Francs to the Cameroonian economy in 2021, double the losses reported in 2019. These losses were primarily due to scamming, and phishing, a technique used by fraudsters to obtain personal information to perpetrate identity theft amounted to 6 billion CFA Francs.

With these developments, managing security and privacy in a dynamic and vulnerable environment remains crucial. WorldRemit, a leading global payments company, has identified the top four money transfer scams occurring in the industry in 2023 that Cameroonian residents should look out for.

The four scams include email scams, such as taxation scams, where scammers impersonate the ATO, and online dating scams, where scammers can play on emotional triggers to get you to send money. In 2021, Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report indicated that the highest-reported and most pressing cyber threat in Africa was indeed online scamming.

Additionally, online shopping scams, such as overpayment scams, where scammers ask you to ‘refund’ an overpayment before you realize the credit card has been stolen or a payment receipt is fake, and Facebook impersonation scams, including money flipping scams that promise quick cash if you invest.

“WorldRemit takes online security very seriously and we understand many of the tricks and techniques behind some of the most popular scams. We want to educate Cameroonians on what scams look like so that our customers can understand what to avoid and protect themselves from getting scammed,” said Imane Charioui, Director of Francophone Africa at WorldRemit.

“Always double-check who is asking you to send money, and if you are not comfortable with the transaction, don’t pursue it. Also avoid using third-party intermediaries, or agents who offer to make transactions on your behalf, and if you need to transfer money overseas, once you have checked the recipient, use a trusted money transfer service like WorldRemit to ensure that your money does arrive in time.”

Imane Charioui shares her top tips to avoid these four popular money transfer scams.

Tips for avoiding email scams:

Don’t click on links or open attachments in an unsolicited emails.
Check the sender’s email address matches the website address of the organization it says it’s from.
Be wary if the email doesn’t use your name and says something like “Dear customer”.
Avoid emails with a sense of urgency, asking you to act at once.
Beware of emails with poor grammar and spelling mistakes.
Never share personally identifiable information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited. This includes banking and credit card information, your birth date, and Social Security/ Social Insurance numbers.
Keep your devices updated with antivirus software to protect yourself from any malware.

Tips to avoid online dating scams:

Don’t trust those asking for you to share money, gifts, or your bank account/credit card details.
Use social media channels and online to see whether their dating profile is consistent with their other online profiles.
As a rule, we advise that you shouldn’t send money to someone unless you have met them in person or via video.

Tips for avoiding online shopping scams:

Make sure that the website has ‘https’ in the URL (the extra ‘s’ is for ‘secure’) and a small lock icon on the address bar. Even then, the site could be unreliable.
Read reviews about the quality of the merchandise, and make sure you’re not buying cheap and/or counterfeit goods.
Check on the website for a clear refund policy and method of contact should you have a customer query.
The website should not include an option to use an IMT to make the payment.

Tips for avoiding impersonation scams:

Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know and have never met.
Don’t share your password with others.
When logging in, use two-factor authentication.
Avoid connecting to public and free Wi-Fi networks.
Keep your browser and apps updated.
Add an added layer of security and use proactive cybersecurity software.

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