#FactCheck - False Claim about Video of Sadhu Lying in Fire at Mahakumbh 2025

Executive Summary:

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Recent reports circulating on various social media platforms have falsely claimed that an air taxi prototype is operational and providing services between Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Jaipur. These claims, accompanied by images and videos, have been widely shared, leading to significant public attention. However, upon conducting a thorough examination using reverse image search, it has been determined that the information is misleading and inaccurate. These assertions do not reflect the current reality and are not substantiated by credible sources

Claim:

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The claim suggests that an air taxi prototype is already operational, servicing routes between Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Jaipur. This assertion is accompanied by images of a futuristic aircraft, implying that such technology is currently being used to transport commercial passengers.

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Fact Check:

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The claim of air taxi and routes between Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Jaipur has been found to be misleading.  Also, so far, neither the Indian government nor the respective aviation authorities have issued any sort of public declarations nor industry insiders to claim any launch of any air taxi  service. Further research followed a keyword-based search that directed us to a news report published in The Times of India on January 20, 2025. A similar post to the one seen in the viral video accompanied the report. It stated that Bengaluru-based aerospace startup Sarla Aviation launched its prototype air taxi called “Shunya” during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo. Under this plan, it looks to initiate electric flying taxis in Bangalore by 2028. This urban air transport program for India will be similar to what they are posting in this regard.

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Conclusion:

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The viral claim saying that there is an air taxi service in India between Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Jaipur is entirely false. The pictures and information going viral are misleading and do not relate to any progress or implementation of air taxi technology in India. To date, there is no official confirmation or credible evidence that supports such a service. Information must be verified from reliable sources before it is believed or shared in order to prevent the spread of misinformation.

• Claim: A viral post claims an air taxi is operational between Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Jaipur.
• Claimed On: Social Media 
• Fact Check: False and Misleading

Executive Summary

A misleading  advertisement circulating in social media providing attractive offers like iPhone15, AirPods and Smartwatches from the Indian e-commerce platform ‘Myntra’. This “Myntra - Festival Gifts” scam aims to attract the unsuspecting users into a series of redirects and fake interactions to compromise their personal information and devices. It is important to stay vigilant to protect ourselves from misleading attractive offers. Through this report, the Research Wing of CyberPeace explains about a series of processes that happens when the link gets clicked. Through this knowledge, we aim to provide awareness and empower the users to guard themselves and not fall into deceptive offers that aim to scam them.   

False Claim

The widely shared WhatsApp message claims that Myntra  is offering a wide range of high-valued prizes including the latest iPhone 15, AirPods, various smartwatches among all as a Festival Gift promotion. The campaign invites the users to click on the link provided and take a short quiz to be eligible for the prize.

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The Deceptive Scheme

• The link in the social media post is tailored to work only on mobile devices, users are taken through a chain of redirects.
• Users are greeted with the Myntra's "Big Fashion Festival" branding accompanied by Myntra’s logo once they reach the landing page, which gives an impression of authenticity.
• Next, a simple quiz asks basic questions about the user's shopping experience with Myntra, their age, and gender.
• On the bottom of the quiz, there is a comment section that shows the comments from users who are supposedly provided with the prizes to look real,  
• After the completion of the quiz, users are presented with a Spin-to-Win mechanism, to win the prize. 
• After winning, a congratulatory message is displayed which says that the user has won an iPhone 15.
• The final step requires the user to share the campaign over WhatsApp in order to claim the prize.

 Analyzing the Fraudulent Campaign 

• The use of Myntra's branding and the promise of exclusive, high-value prizes are designed to attract  users' interest.
• The fake comments and social proof elements aim to create a false sense of legitimacy and widespread participation, making the offer seem more credible.
• The series of redirects, quizzes, and Spin-to-Win mechanics are tactics to keep users engaged and increase the likelihood of them falling for the scam.
• The final step of sharing the post on WhatsApp is a way for the scammers to further spread the campaign and compromise more victims. Through sharing the link over WhatsApp, users become unaware accomplices that are simply assisting the scammers to reach an even bigger audience and hence their popularity.

• The primary objectives of such scams are to gather users' personal information and potentially gain access to their devices. By luring users with the promise of exclusive gifts and creating a false sense of legitimacy, the scammers aim to exploit user trust and compromise their data, leading to potential identity theft, financial fraud, or the installation of potentially unwanted softwares.
• We have also cross-checked and as of now there is no well established and credible source or any official notification that has confirmed such an offer advertised by Myntra.
• Domain Analysis: If we closely look at the viral message, it is clearly visible that the scammers mentioned myntra.com in the url. However, the actual url takes the user to a different domain as the campaign is hosted on a third party domain instead of the official Website of Myntra, this raised suspicion. This is the common way to deceive users into falling for a Phishing scam. Whois information reveals that the domain has been registered not long ago i.e on 8th April 2024, just a few days back. Cybercriminals used Cloudflare technology to mask the actual IP address of the fraudulent website.

• Domain Name: MYTNRA.CYOU
• Registry Domain ID: D445770144-CNIC
• Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.hkdns.hk
• Registrar URL: http://www.hkdns.hk
• Updated Date: 2024-04-08T03:27:58.0Z
• Creation Date: 2024-04-08T02:58:14.0Z
• Registry Expiry Date: 2025-04-08T23:59:59.0Z
• Registrar: West263 International Limited
• Registrant State/Province: Delhi
• Registrant Country: IN
• Name Server: NORMAN.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
• Name Server: PAM.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM

‍CyberPeace Advisory and Best Practices‍

• Do not open those messages received from social platforms in which you think that such messages are suspicious or unsolicited. In the beginning, your own discretion can become your best weapon.
• Falling prey to such scams could compromise your entire system, potentially granting unauthorized access to your microphone, camera, text messages, contacts, pictures, videos, banking applications, and more. Keep your cyber world safe against any attacks.
• Never, in any case, reveal such sensitive data as your login credentials and banking details to entities you haven't validated as reliable ones.
• Before sharing any content or clicking on links within messages, always verify the legitimacy of the source. Protect not only yourself but also those in your digital circle.
• For the sake of the truthfulness of offers and messages, find the official sources and companies directly. Verify the authenticity of alluring offers before taking any action.

Conclusion:

The “Myntra - Festival Gift” scam is a kind of manipulation in which the fraudsters exploit the trust of the users and take advantage of a popular e-commerce website. It is equally crucial to equip the users by imparting them knowledge on fraudulent behavior tactics like impersonating brands, creating fake social proof and application of different engagement strategies. We are required to remain alert and stand firm against cyber attacks. Be careful, make sure that information is verified and share awareness to help make a safe online environment for all users.

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Introduction

In the era of the internet where everything is accessible at your fingertip, a disturbing trend is on the rise- over 90% of websites containing child abuse material now have self-generated images, obtained from victims as young as three years old. A shocking revelation, shared by the (IWF) internet watch foundation, The findings of the IWF have caused concern about the increasing exploitation of children below the age of 10. The alarming trend highlights the increasing exploitation of children under the age of 10, who are coerced, blackmailed, tricked, or groomed into participating in explicit acts online. The IWF's data for 2023 reveals a record-breaking 275,655 websites hosting child sexual abuse material, with 92% of them containing such "self-generated" content.

Disturbing Tactics Shift

Disturbing numbers came that, highlight a distressing truth. In 2023, 275,655 websites were discovered to hold child sexual abuse content, reaching a new record and reflecting an alarming 8% increase over the previous year. What's more concerning is that 92% of these websites had photos or videos generated by the website itself. Surprisingly, 107,615 of these websites had content involving children under the age of ten, with 2,500 explicitly featuring youngsters aged three to six.

Profound worries

Deep concern about the rising incidence of images taken by extortion or coercion from elementary school-aged youngsters. This footage is currently being distributed on very graphic and specialised websites devoted to child sexual assault. The process begins in a child's bedroom with the use of a camera and includes the exchange, dissemination, and gathering of explicit content by devoted and determined persons who engage in sexual exploitation. These criminals are ruthless. The materials are being circulated via mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, and social media platforms, (WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, etc.) 

Live Streaming of such material involves real-time broadcast which again is a major concern as the nature of the internet is borderless the access to such material is international, national, and regional, which even makes it difficult to get the predators and convict them. With the growth, it has become easy for predators to generate “self-generated “images or videos.

Financial Exploitation in the Shadows: The Alarming Rise of Sextortion

Looking at the statistics globally there have been studies that show an extremely shocking pattern known as “sextortion”, in which adolescents are targeted for extortion and forced to pay money under the threat of exposing images to their families or relatives and friends or on social media. The offender's goal is to obtain sexual gratification.

The financial variation of sextortion takes a darker turn, with criminals luring kids into making sexual content and then extorting them for money. They threaten to reveal the incriminating content unless their cash demands, which are frequently made in the form of gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrencies, are satisfied. In this situation, the predators are primarily driven by money gain, but the psychological impact on their victims is as terrible. A shocking case was highlighted where an 18-year-old was landed in jail for blackmailing a young girl, sending indecent images and videos to threaten her via Snapchat. The offender was pleaded guilty. 

The Question on Security?

The introduction of end-to-end encryption in platforms like Facebook Messenger has triggered concerns within law enforcement agencies. While enhancing user privacy, critics argue that it may inadvertently facilitate criminal activities, particularly the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. The alignment with other encrypted services is seen as a potential challenge, making it harder to detect and investigate crimes, thus raising questions about finding a balance between privacy and public safety.

One of the major concerns in the online safety of children is the implementation of encryption by asserting that it enhances the security of individuals, particularly children, by safeguarding them from hackers, scammers, and criminals. They underscored their dedication to enforcing safety protocols, such as prohibiting adults from texting teenagers who do not follow them and employing technology to detect and counteract bad conduct.

These distressing revelations highlight the urgent need for comprehensive action to protect our society's most vulnerable citizens i.e., children, youngsters, and adolescents throughout the era of digital progress. As experts and politicians grapple with these troubling trends, the need for action to safeguard kids online becomes increasingly urgent.

Role of Technology in Combating Online Exploitation 

With the rise of technology, there has been a rise in online child abuse, technology also serves as a powerful tool to combat it. The advanced algorithms and use of Artificial intelligence tools can be used to disseminate ‘self-generated’ images. Additional tech companies can collaborate and develop some effective solutions to safeguard every child and individual.  

Role of law enforcement agencies

Child abuse knows no borders, and addressing the issues requires legal intervention at all levels. National, regional, and international law enforcement agencies investigate online child sexual exploitation and abuse and cooperate in the investigation of these cybercrimes, Various investigating agencies need to have mutual legal assistance and extradition, bilateral, and multilateral conventions to conduct to identify, investigate, and prosecute perpetrators of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Apart from this cooperation between private and government agencies is important, sharing the database of perpetrators can help the agencies to get them caught.

How do you safeguard your children?

Looking at the present scenario it has become a crucial part of protecting and safeguarding our children online against online child abuse here are some practical steps that can help in safeguarding your loved one.

1. Open communication:  Establish open communication with your children, make them feel comfortable, and share your experiences with them, make them understand what good internet surfing is and educate them about the possible risks without generating fear.
2. Teach Online Safety:  educate your children about the importance of privacy and the risks associated with it. Teach them strong privacy habits like not sharing any personal information with a stranger on any social media platform. Teach them to create some unique passwords and to make them aware not to click on any suspicious links or download files from unknown sources. 
3. Set boundaries: As a parent set rules and guidelines for internet usage, set time limits, and monitor their online activities without infringing their privacy. Monitor their social media platforms and discuss inappropriate behaviour or online harassment. As a parent take an interest in your children's online activities, websites, and apps inform them, and teach them online safety measures.

Conclusion

The predominance of self-generated' photos in online child abuse content necessitates immediate attention and coordinated action from governments, technology corporations, and society as a whole. As we negotiate the complicated environment of the digital age, we must be watchful, modify our techniques, and collaborate to defend the innocence of the most vulnerable among us. To combat online child exploitation, we must all work together to build a safer, more secure online environment for children all around the world.

References

• https://www.the420.in/over-90-of-websites-containing-child-abuse-feature-self-generated-images-warns-iwf/
• https://news.sky.com/story/self-generated-images-found-on-92-of-websites-containing-child-sexual-abuse-with-victims-as-young-as-three-13049628
• https://www.firstpost.com/world/russia-rejects-us-proposal-to-resume-talks-on-nuclear-arms-control-13630672.html
• https://www.news4hackers.com/iwf-warns-that-more-than-90-of-websites-contain-self-generated-child-abuse-images/

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