Hacker Claims To Sell Data Of 4.75 Crore Alleged Truecaller India Users

Data theft cases are rising every day. With each passing day, safeguarding our data online is getting more difficult. And in case you were signed up with Truecaller, your data might be in trouble.

BCCL

A cybercriminal was found selling records of 4.75 crore Indians, allegedly derived from popular phone directory app Truecaller for just Rs 75,000. This was spotted by cybersecurity firm Cyble.

Reported first by PTI, this was revealed by Cyble in a blog post, stating, "Our researchers have identified a reputable seller, who is selling 47.5 million Indians Truecaller records for USD 1,000 (about Rs 75,000). The data is from 2019. We were also taken off by surprise with such a low price point.¡±

The data being sold includes phone numbers, gender data, location (city), Facebook IDs, choice of mobile network etc.

The blog post further stated, "Cyble researchers are progressing with their analysis, but clearly, this leak may have a potential impact on broader users in India such as spams, scams, identity thefts etc. We will update this blog as we get more information."

Truecaller denies this data breach

When PTI contacted Truecaller for a comment, the spokesperson denied the breach stating, "There has been no breach of our database and all our user information is secure. We take the privacy of our users and the integrity of our services extremely seriously and we are continuously monitoring for suspicious activities." The company, however, states that they are aware of a similar sale of data that occurred in May last year.

Truecaller

The spokesperson added, "What they have here is likely the same dataset as before. It's easy for bad actors to compile multiple phone number databases and put a Truecaller stamp on it. By doing that, it lends some credibility to the data and makes it easier for them to sell. We urge the public and users not to fall prey to such bad actors whose primary motive is to swindle the people of their money."