Defence Ministry Issues Alert Against ‘Defence Pro’

This fake channel has been circulating false information under the guise of official announcements, including statements about the Indian Army’s involvement in tackling social media misinformation.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has recently alerted citizens to a fraudulent WhatsApp channel named “Defence Pro,” which falsely claims to represent the Indian Armed Forces.

The Internet is hit by a potentially malicious app named "Defence Pro." This app is posing as an official platform linked to the defense sector but is reportedly being used to conduct unauthorized data gathering and cyber intrusions. The Ministry has cautioned military personnel and the public to avoid downloading and interacting with the app.

A post shared by “Defence Pro” on November 2nd falsely declared that the Indian Army had appointed a special officer to combat misinformation on social media. The post added that the Army had gained authority to issue takedown notices directly to social media platforms, bypassing the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The misinformation claimed that this move would help the Army independently address unlawful content online.

The Ministry of Defence swiftly responded, labeling this channel as fake and warning the public against its deceptive tactics. In an official tweet, the Ministry emphasized that “Defence Pro” has no affiliation with any branch of the Indian Armed Forces or the Ministry itself.

This warning is part of a broader effort to prevent cyber threats aimed at sensitive information in India's defense infrastructure and to ensure robust digital security practices among its personnel. The Ministry has further cautioned that such fake channels could be operated by anti-national entities seeking to collect contact details of unsuspecting individuals for potentially harmful purposes.

The Ministry concluded its statement by encouraging citizens to be cautious and to rely on official government channels for any news regarding the Indian Armed Forces.