The Bombay police have unearthed an international racket involving the creation of fake social media profiles, sale of fake followers and likes to genuine and fake accounts, and other fraudulent activities by websites posing as social media marketing agencies. In this regard, the police have summoned 18 celebrities including film directors, choreographers and models, who allegedly used the services of such websites to give an impression of a greater influence online than actual. The scam was busted when Bollywood singer Bhoomi Trivedi filed a complaint about a fake Instagram profile, posing as her official account. One ABhishek Davade was arrested on 14th July. According to the police, there are around 100 such websites in India but the crime branch had so far identified 54.
