Delhi HC issues notice to 24 banks on delayed responses in fraud probe

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to 24 banks following concerns raised by theDelhi Police regarding the delay in responses from financial institutions in relation to fraudulent websites.

The case before the court pertains to domain names being registered by unknown third parties in violation of the trademark rights of brand owners, despite prior court orders to block such infringing domain names.

Justice Prathiba M. Singh emphasised the need for an efficient and diligent response mechanism, particularly because innocent customers have fallen victim to significant financial losses due to these fraudulent activities.

The Delhi Police also informed the court about the alarming practice of opening bank accounts without proper verification of the account holders' addresses.

The Delhi Police's Cyber Cell apprised the court about difficulties in obtaining adequate information from Domain Name Registrars and intermediaries hosting these fraudulent websites.

Moreover, the police reported receiving complaints from the Ministry of External Affairs concerning fake websites used to deceive the public by accepting Indian passport applications and charging excessive processing fees.

It was revealed that payments were made to Google Ads to promote these fraudulent websites at the top of search engine results.

Responding to these concerns, the high court has directed Google to designate an official to collaborate with the Cyber Cell. This cooperation will involve providing necessary information regarding fraudulent websites and any other assistance required for the investigation.

The court is scheduled to hear the matter on November 24.