Preying on the gullible to commit fraud and theft is nothing new, but Chinese criminals take it to a new level. India’s government is working to shut down over 230 illegal gambling and bank apps that it traced back to the country.
India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a political rally in 2020. His department is working to block hundreds of illegal gambling apps that have infiltrated the country from China. (Image: Flickr)
India’s ANI news agency reports that the Union Home Ministry of India has asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to take action on 232 apps. The decision was made after authorities confirmed that the applications violate federal law because they include harmful elements that could damage the “integrity and sovereignty” of India.
There are allegedly 138 gambling and betting apps, as well as 94 loan apps. However, the government hasn’t released their names, making it difficult for locals to know if they’ve become a target.
Watch What You Download
The reason behind this decision is based on complaints of extortion and harassment by Indians who sought small loans through the mobile applications. These apps were allegedly created by Chinese nationals who then hired Indians as directors in order to legitimize their activity.
The complaints all paint a similar scenario. People desperate for money took out loans under certain terms before the criminals behind the apps suddenly began charging an interest rate of 3,000% a year. When borrowers can’t pay, those who represent these apps begin to attack.
They send the debtors obscene messages and threaten to publish adulterated photos of the individuals to their contacts. Because the individual had downloaded and installed the app on his or her device, the scammers gained access to all of the phone’s information.
The issue began to gain attention following reports of suicide in some parts of India, especially Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Once the pattern emerged, the state governments of Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, along with intelligence agencies, asked local officials to provide input on the apps, as well.
Based on this information, the Union Home Ministry began to review 28 Chinese lending applications in the middle of last year. Eventually, it discovered 94 apps in online stores and others that are accessible through third-party links.
In other cases, it isn’t possible to download the app from a typical online app store. However, sources told ANI that betting apps and games can be found on independent, sometimes obscure websites.
India’s Changing Gambling Ecosystem
Previously, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that since betting and gambling are illegal across most of the country, the advertising of betting platforms is also illegal. It added that the prohibition is covered under the laws of the Cable Television Networks Act of 1995, the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 and the IT Act of 2021.
That might soon change, however. India has long been against most forms of gambling, but is in the process of exploring legislative support for the online segment. It’s not an easy process, though, as resistance still runs high.
Even some of the companies that would benefit the most from legalization are fighting the changes. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) apparently isn’t ready for regulated gaming.
The industry body said last week that it disagrees with the idea that every gaming title has to be reviewed and approved before launch. This is one of the ideas currently under consideration to advance regulated online gambling in India.
The IAMAI also said that the rules would create financial hardship for many companies, especially since regulation might not be necessary. Its comments, part of a request for feedback from the government about the rules proposals, allegedly represented the sentiment of all of its members.
That’s not true, according to four of them. Dream Sports, Games24x7, Mobile Premier League and Zupee, according to The Economic Times, issued a rebuttal to that response. They stated that they don’t agree with the IAMAI’s stance, adding that the organization never contacted them for their input.
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