Global Trends

Only four of about 150 public European protest posts from October 2026 reached a like-to-follower ratio of 400% or more, and all came from accounts with fewer than 22,000 followers. One Facebook page with 38 followers drew 7,300 likes. Global outlets stayed under 1%. These four case studies show what Meta's recommendation system chose to amplify, and why.

India's I4C has sent Google five new takedown orders, dated 1 and 9 October 2026, covering 174 Firebase databases and phishing sites used in "Android God Mode" banking malware that steals OTPs, SMS and card data. The orders follow 57 takedowns in August and 216 on 20 September, bringing disclosed Firebase takedowns since August to more than 440.

Meta Pixel is a tracking code that websites use to measure their Facebook and Instagram ads. Each Pixel ID tags data to its owner. Scam networks abuse it by loading dozens of Pixels on throwaway job-scam sites before pushing victims to WhatsApp. Their habit of reusing the same Pixel IDs across domains is what links those sites to a single operator.

An appeal circulating in Chinese-language channels claims more than 400 Indians and 1,000 Chinese nationals are held at a scam compound called Koe Ma Nee near Myawaddy, Myanmar, at reported coordinates 17.139675, 98.263031. It alleges 18-hour workdays, electric shocks, sexual harassment, a Rs 10 lakh exit fee and at least seven Indian deaths. None of these claims have been independently verified.

Varanasi Police have dismantled a SIM box network run from three rented sites that converted foreign internet calls into local Indian mobile calls for "digital arrest" fraud. Officers seized six 32-port SIM boxes with 192 slots, VPN gateways and routers, and arrested two people. A mule account linked to the network received Rs 25 lakh from one victim and is tied to 41 complaints across several states.

Police say suspects allegedly posed as Chinese prosecutors and police officers to target Chinese nationals, including people living in the United States. Investigators seized 82 mobile phones, laptops, passports and recordings of the alleged impersonations.

During Joint Disruption Week in London, Coinbase's Global Intelligence team traced illicit funds, helped freeze assets and shared intelligence in real time. It proactively identified more than 65 active scam victims and stopped over $415,000 in potential losses before they occurred.

Delhi Police's IFSO unit has dismantled a digital arrest and investment fraud network tied to handlers in Cambodia and Southeast Asia, arresting 11 people and securing Rs 7.25 crore. The case shows a laundering chain that crosses borders: InDelhi Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit has disdian mule accounts traded on Telegram, an SMS-forwarding APK relaying bank OTPs abroad, and handler commissions paid in USDT. It is linked to 78 complaints worth about Rs 73 crore.

A US-UK-led "Joint Disruption Week" against West African scam centres led to 28 arrests in Ghana and Nigeria, the rescue of 117 trafficking victims and the removal of more than 3.7 million fraudulent social media accounts, Pages and Groups, the largest takedown of its kind. India joined the operation, which was hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency, and tech partners identified over $11 million in potentially freezable funds.

Japan's National Cybersecurity Office has confirmed multiple breaches at companies handling large volumes of personal data, driven by web vulnerabilities, supply-chain compromise and weak data management. Its 9 October 2026 advisory urges firms to patch fast, enforce MFA, audit contractors, minimise and encrypt data, and treat cybersecurity as a board-level issue as AI-driven attacks grow more sophisticated.

Pakistan's NCCIA Islamabad has arrested four men, Asad Ullah, Sibtain Ali, Noman Niaz and Sami Ullah, accused of harassing and blackmailing a woman by sharing objectionable images and videos of her with her family and in WhatsApp groups. Four phones were recovered. The swift action under PECA 2016 sends a clear message that image-based abuse of women will be pursued and punished.

Pakistan's NCCIA Multan has arrested two men, Mamoon Rauf and Muhammad Mubashir Murtaza, accused of using a fake steel sale-and-purchase ad on TikTok to trick a buyer into transferring money into their bank accounts. Two mobile phones were recovered, and a case has been registered under PECA 2016 (amended 2025) and the Pakistan Penal Code. The case shows how TikTok ads are becoming a storefront for fake trade deals.