Data thief with 70cr database began career as web designer
Vinay Bhardwaj, a resident of Faridabad, was recently apprehended by the Cyberabad Police for his involvement in the creation and sale of 70 crore confidential citizen databases. Prior to becoming a cyber criminal, Bhardwaj worked as a web designer. It was through his business networking activities that he gained access to illegal data procurement, allowing him to earn quick money by selling the data.
According to a senior officer from the Cyberabad Police, Bhardwaj’s involvement in cybercrime began when he created a webpage for a textile businessman from Gujarat who offered to collect and sell data for significant profits. This experience further fueled his criminal instincts, leading him to hoard data on a large scale. The police also revealed that there are hundreds of individuals engaged in this illegal activity, many of whom operate their own websites to sell sensitive information. Private business operators were responsible for the leakage of Aadhar data from customers, indicating the need for further investigation into the matter.
The Cyberabad Police were surprised to discover that an e-commerce business operator was storing customer data under 77 different categories, all of which had been leaked. Additionally, several other organizations were found to possess extensive data on their customers. Consequently, notices were issued to Bigbasket, PhonePe, Facebook, Club Mahindra, Policybazaar, Axis Bank, Astute Group, Matrix, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, and Tech Mahindra regarding the leak of customer data.
A police officer raised important questions regarding the legality of companies accumulating such massive amounts of information during customer transactions. They also questioned whether customer consent was obtained and what security measures were in place to prevent data theft.
The recent dismantling of data theft gangs operating from Delhi and Noida revealed that they were disguising their data sale businesses as business process outsourcing (BPO) firms. On the other hand, Bhardwaj’s operation in Faridabad was an unregistered setup, according to the police. The key to understanding how personal information was being leaked lies in apprehending the two individuals from Gujarat whom Bhardwaj purchased the majority of the 70 crore data from. The Cyberabad Police are currently pursuing them.
