BEWARE OF PHOTO FRAUD

Brazilian models image misused for fake votes; learn smart ways to prevent online identity theft

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi highlighted a brazen case of electoral fraud during the recent Maharashtra assembly polls.

A single photograph of a Brazilian model named Larissa was allegedly misused to register and cast votes under 22 different identities across polling stations. This expose, shared via social media and echoed in parliamentary debates, underscores the growing peril of digital identity theft. As voting systems increasingly rely on scanned documents and images, the incident serves as a stark warning: your casual social media post could unwittingly fuel crimes from voter impersonation to financial scams.

In India,social media penetration exceeds 500 million users. Below, we have listed practical strategies that help online users to shield their photos and videos from exploitation. By adopting these measures, individuals can minimise risks of identity fraud, where stolen visuals lead to forged Aadhaar cards, fake loan applications, or even deepfake videos tarnishing reputations.

How to prevent

Prevention starts with vigilance. Here are actionable steps to fortify your social media presence from the outset.