Delhi High Court orders takedown of 38 scam websites posing as Mudrex
The Delhi High Court, in a ruling dated August 23, has ordered the Ministry of Communications to take down 38 websites posing as an Indian crypto investment company within a week. Last week, Mudrex had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking action against fraudulent websites after users reported falling victim to scams. The development comes against the backdrop of a rapid escalation in scams and hacks targeting the crypto community across the globe.
The official page of Delhi High Court Warrant Portal published the directive on August 23. Justice Mini Pushkarna directed the Ministry of Communications to take down the dubious websites by August 30.
Gadgets360 is awaiting a response from the ministry on whether it plans to tackle the spread of fraudulent websites on popular search engines Google and Microsoft.
Mudrex had provided evidence that its names and other brands were being used extensively by fake websites to communicate with users across the country. The impersonators also run their own businesses under the guise of Mudrex’s identity.
The petition document reveals that Mudrex has received multiple complaints from concerned individuals, who mistook the scam websites for the crypto platform’s legitimate, official company site.
The complaints revealed that some of the websites posing as such were promising employment opportunities. The document further noted that these infringing, fraudulent websites had duped innocent customers into investing lakhs of rupees. The operators of the scam sites had also collected sensitive data of unsuspecting users including details of Aadhar Card, Pan Card, bank statements and property papers while leading them to wrongful loss, tarnishing the reputation of Mudrex in the market.
The document listed 38 impersonating websites using Mudrex’s trademark. After Mudrex became aware of the fraudulent websites, it also issued advisories on its official accounts on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and in emails to its users, asking them to exercise caution before contacting websites bearing its name, label, or other identifying marks.
“We are committed to protecting our users and maintaining the integrity of our brand. Most platforms in India are facing this issue, but we wanted to ensure that it was addressed and resolved for our users. Our focus remains on maintaining the trust of our users and reinforcing our commitment to a safe and reliable platform,” Mudrex CEO Edul Patel said, commenting on the development.
There has been a rise in crypto-related scams across the globe. A recent report by Binance claimed that the exchange had managed to prevent losses of around $2.4 billion (roughly Rs. 20,130 crore) between January and July this year.
