Center warns against illegal payment gateways

The Ministry of Home Affairs has warned the public against illegal payment gateways using ‘mule accounts’ to facilitate money laundering services in the wake of increasing incidents of cyber fraud.

Some of the suspected payment gateways include PeacePay, RTX Pay, PocoPay and RPP. These gateways are said to offer money laundering as a service and are operated by foreigners, sources said.

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C) – the cybercrime wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs – said that the recent nationwide raids by the Gujarat Police and Andhra Pradesh Police revealed that transnational criminals had created illegal digital payment gateways using mule or rented accounts.

It has advised citizens not to sell or rent out their bank accounts, company registration certificate or Aadhaar registration certificate. Citizens can report cybercrime on helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in and follow the “CyberDost” channels.