New Delhi: After the Union Home Ministry cautioned states about possible radicalisation attempts linked to the Iran conflict, the Intelligence Bureau has issued a fresh alert warning of charity scams exploiting the situation, urging vigilance against fraudulent fundraising campaigns.
Many groups have cropped up who are collecting donations in the name of the war in Iran. An official said these groups are raising money for the war’s victims in Iran.
Similar activity was discovered when the war broke out between Israel and Palestine last year. Such charities come up during such periods, and once they collect the funds, they vanish, another official said.
These people running these fake charities make an emotional push. They display photographs of the war, most of which have undergone digital alterations, to solicit funds. There are a good number of people who donate money and even give out gold after becoming emotional, an Intelligence Bureau official said.
What the agencies have learned is that the extent of this scam is at its highest in Jammu and Kashmir. Some people have gone door-to-door seeking donations to support the people affected by the Iran war. They spin stories and hype up the situation so that they can cheat people by taking advantage of their emotional vulnerabilities, officials have found.
In Kashmir, the authorities have learnt that it is the same network which used to collect funds for the separatist groups that existed prior to the abrogation of Article 370.
The donations that these groups have managed to collect citing the war in Iran is staggering. It runs into crores of Rupees. In Jammu and Kashmir alone, the scam is worth around Rs 16 crore. The authorities have found that people have given away even their savings. In some cases, people have given gold and even their copper utensils to these persons.
The target audience has been mainly the Shia community, an official said. The Shia Muslims are more vulnerable and can be manipulated emotionally, especially about the ongoing war in Iran. They tend to give away their money and do not even ask for any accountability from these scammers, another official said.
The agencies are closely monitoring similar activity in many other parts of the country. It is taking place in several places, but the scale appears to be the highest in Jammu and Kashmir, the agencies have found.
These elements indulging in this scam have kept their operations largely offline. They go to houses and make emotional and religious appeals to lure vulnerable people. The people are shown pictures of the war, following which an appeal for donations are made.
While issuing the fake receipts the people are told that the funds would be sent to Iran for the welfare of the people who are affected by the war. These persons have avoided using online platforms as their activities can be tracked easily.
Another worry for the agencies is what is being done with the funds that have been collected so far. They are most likely used by some for personal gains, but a large part of the proceeds are meant to carry out anti-national activities, officials have learnt.
In Jammu and Kashmir, attempts are being made to revive the separatist movement, and the funds could well be utilised for the same, the agencies warn.
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AI-generated image: IANS
–IANS
