New Delhi, March 26 – Following an advisory issued by the Union Home Ministry regarding individuals attempting to promote radicalization in the event of a war in Iran, the Intelligence Bureau has now raised an alert against a charity scam.
Several groups have emerged, collecting donations in the name of the Iran war. These individuals are collecting funds under the pretext of aiding the people of Iran who have been affected by the war, an official said.
Similar activity was observed when the war broke out between Israel and Palestine last year. Such charities emerge during such periods and, once they have collected the funds, they disappear, another official said.
These individuals running these fake charities make emotional appeals. They show photographs of the war, most of which are digitally altered to solicit funds. A number of people have donated money and even given gold after becoming emotionally invested, an Intelligence Bureau official said.
What the agencies have learned is that the extent of this scam is highest in Jammu and Kashmir. There are individuals who have gone door-to-door seeking donations to support the people affected by the Iran war. They create a sense of urgency and exaggerate the situation in order to exploit people's emotional vulnerabilities, officials have found.
In Kashmir, the authorities have learned that it is the same network that used to collect funds for separatist groups that existed prior to the abrogation of Article 370.
The donations that these groups have managed to collect citing the Iran war are staggering. The amount 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 even given away their savings. In some cases, people have given gold and even their copper utensils to these individuals.
The target audience has been mainly the Shia community, an official said. Shia Muslims are more vulnerable and can be easily manipulated emotionally, especially regarding the ongoing war in Iran. They tend to give away their money and do not even demand accountability from these scammers, another official said.
The agencies are closely monitoring similar activity in many other parts of the country. The activity is taking place in several places, but the scale appears to be the highest in Jammu and Kashmir, the agencies have found.
These individuals involved in this scam have largely kept their operations offline. They go to houses and make emotional and religious appeals to lure vulnerable people. People are shown pictures of the war, after which appeals for donations are made.
While issuing fake receipts, people are told that the funds will be sent to Iran for the welfare of the people affected by the war. These individuals have avoided using online platforms because their activities can be easily tracked.
Another concern for the agencies is what is being done with the funds that have been collected. They are most likely being used by some for personal gain, but a large part of the proceeds is intended to carry out anti-national activities, officials have learned.
In Jammu and Kashmir, there are attempts being made to revive the separatist movement, and the funds could be used for this purpose, the agencies warn.