At least a few of you might have received a court warning email in your inbox. The email claims to be from the Office Of The Commissioner Of Police, New Delhi, India, accusing the recipient of accessing illegal pornographic websites. The email wording threatens the recipient with serious legal action if does not respond within 24 hours. This is a typical phishing scam email designed to deceive and manipulate the recipient.
Re: ⚖️ Official Court Order Warning ⚖️ – Full Email text
Office Of The Commissioner Of Police
Cybercrime Cell / Computer Centre
Police Headquarters,
MSO Building, J.P. Estate, New Delhi 110002.OFFICIAL COURT ORDER.
This is to inform you of the attached alleged court order against yourInternet IP traffic by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Department
of Research and Analysis Wing.It is quite unfortunate to turn your official or private Internet to a
juvenile pornographic movie cyber.The Central Bureau of Investigation works in partnership with the Police
Cybercrime Special Units in handling all complex and sensitive cases of
cybercrime, especially when the victims are women and minor children.Our laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art spider/crawling
digital software and equipment, having forensic capabilities such as
extraction of deleted data from hard drives and mobile phones, imaging
and hash value calculation, forensic servers and portable forensic tools
for on-site examination, facility to extract data from latest Android or
IOS as well as Chinese phones.
Based on the above, it is extremely difficult for any victim to
consciously or unconsciously visit juvenile pornographic sites without
being digitally captured.
More information or clarification on the court order will be made
available to you upon receipt of your response within 24 hours; our
office operates 24 hours / 7 days.
Be assured that serious legal action will be taken against you if you
fail to respond to this notice within 24 hours of receipt.
To forewarn is to forearm.
Sincerely,
Ritambra Prakash (ACP/CB)
For Deputy Commissioner Of Police
Cybercrime Cell / Computer Centre
Police Headquarters,
Copy to:
1. Section Officer (UTS-II), GOI/MHA, New Delhi.
2. So/Ps To CP/Delhi.
3. Inspr./Cr/Estt. And Intelligence Bureau /PHQ
4. I/C Computer Centre/PHQ
5. Acs-R, Vii And Computer Cell/CB
Analysis of “Re: ⚖️ Official Court Order Warning ⚖️” Fake Email
This email is a classic example of a phishing email scam designed to create fear in the target and make them a quick response. Here’s our analysis of its content:
Indicators of Spam/Phishing:
- Urgent Language and Threats:
- “OFFICIAL COURT ORDER”
- “Serious legal action will be taken against you if you fail to respond to this notice within 24 hours.”
- These phrases are intended to create a sense of urgency and fear, forcing the recipient to act quickly without thinking.
- Allegations of Illegal Activity:
- Claims related to “child pornography”
- The email makes the recipient’s fear of severe legal consequences.
- Request for Immediate Response:
- “Response within 24 hours.”
- Scammers often create very small deadlines to prevent victims from having time to verify the email’s legitimacy.
- Authority and Technical Jargon:
- Mentions of “Central Bureau of Investigation,” “Department of Research and Analysis Wing,” and various forensic authorities. These authorities are based in India and the email is targeted at Indian Citizens.
- The use of official-sounding titles and technical terms is meant to add legitimacy and complexity, making the recipient less likely to question the email.
- Lack of Personalization:
- The email does not address the recipient by name. This is because the scammers randomly collect emails and almost impossible for them to address by name as they send these emails in bulk.
- Legitimate legal notices typically contain personalized information.
- Suspicious Contact Information:
- No specific contact details (e.g., phone numbers, official email addresses) are provided.
- Official government correspondence usually includes verifiable contact information.
- Grammar and Syntax:
- There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as “juvenile pornographic movie cyber” and “to forewarn is to forearm.”
- Professional and official communications tend to be well-written.
What should I do after getting similar Spam Phishing emails?
- Do Not Respond: Do not reply to the email or click on any links it may contain.
- Report the Email: Forward the email to your email provider’s abuse address (e.g., abuse@gmail.com for Gmail). You can also add these addresses to spam so that you won’t receive similar emails in the future.
- Verify Information: If in doubt, contact the alleged sender (e.g., Central Bureau of Investigation) using official contact details found on their official website, not the contact details provided in the email.
- Educate Yourself: Familiarize yourself with common phishing techniques to better recognize and avoid them in the future.
- Avoid mails in spam inbox: Better avoid opening spam emails. Leading email clients such as Google, and Outlook automatically filter emails containing spam links.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the above-received email is a prime example of a phishing scam that makes fear in recipients and the urgent wordings are to manipulate the recipient’s mind. It falsely claims legal action from reputable agencies in India such as CBI, to enhance fear in recipients. If you are receiving such emails, always verify these are from the official channels before making any response. Also, try to avoid clicking any links attached to these emails.
