Spoofed Calls, Concealed Motives: "Operation Sindoor" Triggers Pakistani Espionage Methods Alarms

In a shocking expose, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly conducting a surreptitious campaign—"Operation Sindoor"—with spoofed Indian mobile numbers to target Indian journalists, activists, and civilians. An investigative report by The Internal News reveals the advanced exploitation of telecommunication devices for cyber-espionage.

Deception at Dial Tone

The operation relies on social engineering—a technique of psychological manipulation to trick targets. Impersonators who are government officials, media recruiters, or emergency responders call targets with +91 Indian phone numbers, which are spoofed by ISI-backed agents.

These impersonators use techniques like:

• Fake job offers or interview calls to lure targets.
• Verification requests claiming to be from agencies or banks.
• False emergencies to instill panic and get information.

Strategic Motives at Play

Despite not making an official statement, analysts indicate the reasons could be:

• Gathering intelligence on civil society players.
• Disinformation operations.
• Recruitment of assets to influence across borders.
• The operation seems to replicate earlier efforts by Pakistani forces to penetrate Indian defense communities and hit Kashmiri journalists.

Security Agencies React

Indian security agencies have made internal warnings to citizens to:

• Establish identity of unknown callers, even with Indian numbers.
• Not give out sensitive information through unsolicited calls or messages.
• Report these incidents to local cybercrime units at once.

"Operation Sindoor" is the new face of espionage, where the war is not fought on borders but via phone connections and chat windows. With the simmering tensions between India and Pakistan, such secret operations highlight the importance of digital watchfulness and public consciousness.

As citizens inadvertently become unwitting victims of geopolitical schemes, it becomes important to remain vigilant, probe the unexpected, and report the suspicious. In the meantime, every ringing call might be nothing more than a ring—it could be a breach in disguise.