#FactCheck -AI-Generated Image Falsely Claims Mukesh and Nita Ambani Gifted Luxury Car to Suryakumar Yadav

CAPTCHA, or the Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart function, is an image or distorted text that users have to identify or interpret to prove they are human. 2007 marked the inception of CAPTCHA, and Google developed its free service called reCAPTCHA, one of the most commonly used technologies to tell computers apart from humans. CAPTCHA protects websites from spam and abuse by using tests considered easy for humans but were supposed to be difficult for bots to solve. 

But, now this has changed. With AI becoming more and more sophisticated, it is now capable of solving CAPTCHA tests at a rate that is more accurate than humans, rendering them increasingly ineffective. This raises the question of whether CAPTCHA is still effective as a detection tool with the advancements of AI.

CAPTCHA Evolution: From 2007 Till Now

CAPTCHA has evolved through various versions to keep bots at bay. reCAPTCHA v1 relied on distorted text recognition, v2 introduced image-based tasks and behavioural analysis, and v3 operated invisibly, assigning risk scores based on user interactions. While these advancements improved user experience and security, AI now solves CAPTCHA with 96% accuracy, surpassing humans (50-86%). Bots can mimic human behaviour, undermining CAPTCHA’s effectiveness and raising the question: is it still a reliable tool for distinguishing real people from bots?

Smarter Bots and Their Rise

AI advancements like machine learning, deep learning and neural networks have developed at a very fast pace in the past decade, making it easier for bots to bypass CAPTCHA. They allow the bots to process and interpret the CAPTCHA types like text and images with almost human-like behaviour. Some examples of AI developments against bots are OCR or Optical Character Recognition. The earlier versions of CAPTCHA relied on distorted text: AI because of this tech is able to recognise and decipher the distorted text, making CAPTCHA useless. AI is trained on huge datasets which allows Image Recognition by identifying the objects that are specific to the question asked. These bots can mimic human habits and patterns by Behavioural Analysis and therefore fool the CAPTCHA. 

To defeat CAPTCHA, attackers have been known to use Adversarial Machine Learning, which refers to AI models trained specifically to defeat CAPTCHA. They collect CAPTCHA datasets and answers and create an AI that can predict correct answers. The implications that CAPTCHA failures have on platforms can range from fraud to spam to even cybersecurity breaches or cyberattacks. 

CAPTCHA vs Privacy: GDPR and DPDP

GDPR and the DPDP Act emphasise protecting personal data, including online identifiers like IP addresses and cookies. Both frameworks mandate transparency when data is transferred internationally, raising compliance concerns for reCAPTCHA, which processes data on Google’s US servers. Additionally, reCAPTCHA's use of cookies and tracking technologies for risk scoring may conflict with the DPDP Act's broad definition of data. The lack of standardisation in CAPTCHA systems highlights the urgent need for policymakers to reevaluate regulatory approaches.

CyberPeace Analysis: The Future of Human Verification

CAPTCHA, once a cornerstone of online security, is losing ground as AI outperforms humans in solving these challenges with near-perfect accuracy. Innovations like invisible CAPTCHA and behavioural analysis provided temporary relief, but bots have adapted, exploiting vulnerabilities and undermining their effectiveness. This decline demands a shift in focus. 

Emerging alternatives like AI-based anomaly detection, biometric authentication, and blockchain verification hold promise but raise ethical concerns like privacy, inclusivity, and surveillance. The battle against bots isn’t just about tools but it’s about reimagining trust and security in a rapidly evolving digital world.

AI is clearly winning the CAPTCHA war, but the real victory will be designing solutions that balance security, user experience and ethical responsibility. It’s time to embrace smarter, collaborative innovations to secure a human-centric internet.

References

• https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/bot-detection-no-longer-working-just-wait-until-ai-agents-come-along-124122300456_1.html 
• https://www.milesrote.com/blog/ai-defeating-recaptcha-the-evolving-battle-between-bots-and-web-security 
• https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/24/1081139/captchas-ai-websites-computing/‍
• https://datadome.co/guides/captcha/recaptcha-gdpr/

About Customs Scam:

The Customs Scam is a type of fraud where the scammers pretend to be from the renowned courier office company (DTDC, etc.), or customs department or other government entities. They try to deceive the targets to transfer the money to resolve the fake customs related concerns.  The Research Wing at CyberPeace along with the Research Wing of Autobot Infosec Private Ltd. delved into this case through Open Source Intelligence methods and undercover interactions with the scammers and concluded with some credible information.

Case Study:

The victim receives a phone call posing as a renowned courier office (DTDC, etc.) employee (in some case custom’s officer) that a parcel in the name of the victim has been taken into custody because of inappropriate content. The scammer provides the victim an employee ID, FIR number to prove the authenticity of the case and also they show empathy towards the victim. The scammer pretends to help the victim to connect with a police officer for further action. This so-called police officer shows transparency in his work. He asks him to join a skype video call and he even provides time to install the skype app. He instructs the victim to connect with the skype id provided by the fake police officer where the scammer created a fake police station environment. He also claims that he contacted the headquarters and the victim’s phone number is associated with many illegal activities to create panic to the victim.  Then the scammers also ask the victim to give their personal details such as home address, office address, aadhar card number, PAN card number and screenshot of their bank accounts along with their available account balance for the sake of so-called investigation. Sometimes scammers also demand a high amount of money to resolve the issue and create fake urgency to trap the victim in making the payment. He sternly warns the victim not to contact any other police officials or professionals, making it clear that doing so would only lead to more trouble.

Analysis & Findings: 

After receiving these kinds of complaints from multiple sources, the analysis was done on the collection of phone numbers from where the calls originated. These phone numbers were analysed for alias name, location, Telecom operator,  etc.  Further, we have verified the number to check whether the number is linked with any social media account on reputed platforms like Google, Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, and other classified platforms such as Locanto.

• Phone Number Analysis: Each phone number looks authentic, cleverly concealing the fraud. Sometimes scammers use virtual/temporary phone numbers for these kinds of scams. In this case the victim was from Delhi, so the scammer posed themselves from Delhi Police station, while the phone numbers belong to a different place.

• Undercover Interactions:  The interactions with the suspects reveals their chilling way of modus operandi. These scammers are masters of psychological manipulation. They threaten the victims and act as if they are genuine LEA officers. 
• Exploitation Tactics: They target unsuspecting individuals and create fear and fake urgency among the targets to extract sensitive information such as Aadhaar, PAN card and bank account details.

• Fraud Execution: The scammers demand for the payment to resolve this issue and they make use of the stolen personally identifiable information. Once the victims transfer the money, the fraudsters cut off all the communication.
• Outcome for Victims:  The scammers act so genuine and they frame the incidents so realistic, victims don't realise that they are trapped in this scam. They suffer severe financial loss and psychological trauma.

Recommendations:

• Verify Identities: It is important to verify the identity of any individual, especially if they demand personal information or payment. Contact the official agency directly using verified contact details to confirm the authenticity of the communication.
• Education on Personal Information: Provide education to people to protect their personal identity numbers like Aadhaar and PAN card number. Always emphasise the possible dangers connected to sharing such data in the course of phone conversations.
• Report Suspicious Activity: Prompt reporting of suspicious phone calls or messages to relevant authorities and consumer protection agencies helps in tracking down scammers and prevents people from falling. Report to https://cybercrime.gov.in or reach out to helpline@cyberpeace.net for further assistance. 
• Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures: Implement robust cybersecurity measures to detect and mitigate phishing attempts and fraudulent activities. This includes monitoring and blocking suspicious phone numbers and IP addresses associated with scams.

Conclusion:

In the Customs Scam fraud, the scammers pretend to be a custom or any government official and sometimes threaten the targets to get the details such as Aadhaar, PAN card details, screenshot of their bank accounts along with their available balance in their account. The phone numbers used for these kinds of scams were analysed for any suspicious activity. It is found that all the phone numbers look authentic concealing the fraudentent activities. The interactions made with them reveals that they create fearness and urgency between the individuals. They act as if they are genuine officer’s and ask for money to resolve this issue. It is important to stay vigilant and not to share any personal or financial information. When facing these kinds of scams, report and spread awareness among individuals.

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Executive Summary:

A viral video of the Argentina football team dancing in the dressing room to a Bhojpuri song is being circulated in social media. After analyzing the originality, CyberPeace Research Team discovered that this video was altered and the music was edited. The original footage was posted by former Argentine footballer Sergio Leonel Aguero in his official Instagram page on 19th December 2022. Lionel Messi and his teammates were shown celebrating their win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Contrary to viral video, the song in this real-life video is not from Bhojpuri language. The viral video is cropped from a part of Aguero’s upload and the audio of the clip has been changed to incorporate the Bhojpuri song. Therefore, it is concluded that the Argentinian team dancing to Bhojpuri song is misleading.

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Claims:

A video of the Argentina football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song after victory.

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Fact Check:

On receiving these posts, we split the video into frames, performed the reverse image search on one of these frames and found a video uploaded to the SKY SPORTS website on 19 December 2022.

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We found that this is the same clip as in the viral video but the celebration differs. Upon further analysis, We also found a live video uploaded by Argentinian footballer Sergio Leonel Aguero on his Instagram account on 19th December 2022. The viral video was a clip from his live video and the song or music that’s playing is not a Bhojpuri song. 

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Thus this proves that the news that circulates in the social media in regards to the viral video of Argentina football team dancing Bhojpuri is false and misleading. People should always ensure to check its authenticity before sharing.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the video that appears to show Argentina’s football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song is fake. It is a manipulated version of an original clip celebrating their 2022 FIFA World Cup victory, with the song altered to include a Bhojpuri song. This confirms that the claim circulating on social media is false and misleading.

• Claim: A viral video of the Argentina football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song after victory.
• Claimed on: Instagram, YouTube
• Fact Check: Fake & Misleading

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