Imagine testing a bunch of bots and accidentally stumbling upon 1,500 files—yep, Reuters did exactly that. It’s like opening your inbox expecting spam and instead finding every single secret you ever wanted to forget. Even worse? Some of these files were from as recently as July 2024. In tech years, that’s practically yesterday! Cue the facepalm.
Apple’s Source Code Leaked on the Dark Web—Oops!
"If this bot gets taken down, don’t sweat it. A new one will be up before your coffee gets cold," read the cheery welcome message from a bot clearly inspired by a cockroach—nothing can kill it, apparently. It’s like they knew they were headed for trouble but just couldn’t resist the drama.
Not long after, the bots got slapped with a giant “SCAM” sticker and a warning that felt like an AI version of your mom saying, "I told you so!" Telegram wasn’t playing around though. Reuters shared the bots with them on September 16, and before you could finish binge-watching your favorite show, Telegram had already nuked them into oblivion.
Remi Vaughn, Telegram's spokesperson, piped up: “Private info on Telegram? That’s a big no-no. We’re out here pulling the plug on bots like we’re playing whack-a-mole.” If only this were as fun as it sounds...
Meanwhile, SIM Swappers Are Back, Because Why Not?
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, new bots popped up with a fresh twist: they’re now dishing out Star Health data. Yep, that’s right, the data of people who just wanted their medical bills paid is now being passed around like secret high school gossip. Star Health got a phone call on August 13 from some random who basically said, "Hey, I’ve got your data. What’re you gonna do about it?" Star Health, channeling full panic mode, called in the cybercrime squad.
In response, Star Health bravely declared: "Your privacy matters to us!" If only that declaration came before the data leak, right? Meanwhile, the rest of us are sitting here, wondering if our body mass index is making rounds on the internet. Thanks for the self-esteem boost, hackers.
Medical Records, Because Why Not Share Everything?
Telegram, bless its heart, lets people store and share ridiculous amounts of data anonymously. Naturally, some genius figured out, "Hey, let’s build a bot that leaks people’s sensitive medical records!" One of the bots even lets you grab claim documents in PDF format—because who doesn’t love seeing their insurance details conveniently downloadable by strangers?
Among the unfortunate souls whose info got out? Sandeep TS, whose one-year-old daughter’s treatment info was leaked, including a bill for nearly 15,000 rupees. "Wow, thanks for sharing my private life with the world!" said no one, ever. Sandeep confirmed the documents were real and, shocker, hadn’t been informed of any leaks. Surprise, Sandeep! Your medical history is public now.
Then there’s Pankaj Subhash Malhotra, whose ultrasound results and tax ID were floating around, just waiting for someone to click on. Pankaj was equally thrilled (read: devastated) to confirm that, yep, those docs were real too. Once again, no heads-up about the breach. Because why would anyone want to know that their deepest, most personal info is now floating in the darkest corners of the internet?
The Dark Side of the Telegram Chatbot Show
India’s the biggest player in this sad, sad game, with a whopping 12% of the five million people affected by chatbot-leaked data. According to a 2022 survey by NordVPN, it turns out that, yes, Telegram is a favorite hangout spot for criminals now. Who needs a dark alley when you’ve got encrypted chatrooms?
As cybersecurity expert Adrianus Warmenhoven put it, “The fact that sensitive data is available on Telegram? Totally makes sense. It’s like the dollar store of stolen information. Cheap, easy, and absolutely tragic.”
Moral of the story? If you’re on Telegram, maybe double-check what’s being shared about you... or start bracing for some unexpected (and uncomfortable) surprises.