Bhutan CIRT

𝗕𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗺𝘀 🚨

Fake Telegram Channel Alert

The Bhutan Computer Incident Response Team (BtCIRT), Cybersecurity Division GovTech Agency earnestly urges the general public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to Telegram channels soliciting to be an investment opportunity.

Criminals are increasingly using falsified Telegram channels to impersonate reputable companies, financial advisors, government officials, and popular influencers. These channels often look identical to official ones using similar logos, names, and stolen content to trick users into sending money, sharing personal data or installing malicious applications.
BtCIRT would like to advise all to adhere to the following guidelines and recommendations with regards to such falsified channels..

What to look out for:

1. Too Good to Be True Offers: Guaranteed high returns, instant profits, or "insider" investment tips.
2. Impersonation: The channel name is slightly different from the real one (e.g., adding "official," "support," or using underscores/numbers).
3. Broadcast Only/Limited Interaction: You can join, but you cannot chat, or the chat is flooded by bots.
4. Urgency & Pressure: Scammers urge you to transfer money immediately to "seize an opportunity".
5. No Verified Badge: Legitimate organizations usually have a blue checkmark. Lack of a badge on a channel claiming to be official is a red flag.
6. Unsolicited DMs: Admins sending you direct messages asking for money or sharing links, often after you join a public group.

How to Stay Safe:

1. Verify the Source: Only join Telegram channels directly linked from an organization's official website or verified social media profiles.
2. Enable 2FA: Set up Two-Step Verification (Settings > Privacy and Security > Two-Step Verification) to protect your account.
3. Do Not Share OTPs: Never share your Telegram login verification codes or one-time passwords (OTP) with anyone, not even those claiming to be support staff.
4. Use Privacy Settings: Change settings so only contacts can add you to groups (Settings > Privacy and Security > Groups & Channels).

If you are a Victim:
1. Report & Block:
* Use the in-app "Report Scam and Leave" button.
* Users should report impersonation by flagging the user/channel in-app or messaging on Telegram
2. Stop Payment: Immediately contact your bank and RBP if you have shared financial details.
3. Report to Authorities: Report cyber fraud to RBP, your banks and get technical support from BtCIRT.

🚨 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐌 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓

It has come to our attention that certain individuals/groups are falsely claiming to represent GIC-Bhutan Reinsurance Company Limited and the CEO on platforms such as Telegram, promoting unauthorized “investment opportunities”.

Please note:

⚠️ 𝐆𝐈𝐂-𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬.
⚠️ 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬.
⚠️ 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

🔎 If you encounter such messages or are added to these groups:
• Exit the group immediately
• Report and block the account
• Confirm information only through our official communication channels

We encourage everyone to remain cautious and avoid engaging with suspicious offers made in our name.

𝐆𝐈𝐂-𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝
𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

If your Gmail account has been hacked, please follow the advisory below to recover and secure your Google account.

BtCIRT has been reported of multiple incidents involving the compromise of Gmail accounts that are linked to bank accounts of customers in Bhutan. In these incidents, unauthorized access to the Gmail accounts was subsequently used to compromise the associated bank accounts, resulting in unauthorized transactions and financial losses.

Such incidents have been observed among customers of multiple banks, thus all bank customers are advised to remain vigilant, as similar attacks could potentially affect accounts across any financial institution.

The Bhutan Computer Incident Response Team (BtCIRT), Cybersecurity Division of the GovTech Agency, urges the public to stay vigilant against National Day related scams and phishing attempts. Scammers are circulating fake messages on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms, falsely claiming that the Government or companies are offering cash prizes, gifts, or special benefits. These schemes aim to steal personal information or money through malicious links. All genuine National Day announcements will be shared only through official channels such as BBS and verified government pages. The public is advised not to respond to or click on unsolicited links, messages, or offers of any kind.

Refer Advisory Notice from relevant agencies:
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1168256705486096&id=100069053325340&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=ApWLjl4lYi67A4OD #
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1278697764292361&id=100064564484835&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=8YONOf0ARzwkY8zu #
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1278697764292361&id=100064564484835&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=0fzF8O5L6RwqUS5P #
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1305023121670216&id=100064876200556&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=rExtfATaVhta4b9z #
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1258488602978567&id=100064523176286&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=bEePghMIkc6BEAUe #
Refer to video for your safety produced by students of DIT, JNEC and Google:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szIQJnjC2Ys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12_y2BhKbEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UutQfy_nDnM

Scam Alert 🚨 please refrain from opening the links, sharing personal information and disseminating such fraudulent links further.