Security advisers warned attendees of the IndiaAI/AI Impact Summit about fraudulent SMS and WhatsApp messages claiming to process refunds. Organisers issued an urgent advisory instructing participants to ignore links and only use official channels, noting messages request full card numbers and other sensitive payment details.

Organisers of the IndiaAI Impact Summit and independent security watchers issued urgent advisories after detecting a targeted phishing campaign aimed at event attendees. Attackers sent event‑themed SMS and WhatsApp messages purporting to handle refunds or payment issues and asked recipients to follow links or provide full card numbers, CVV codes and other financial data. The phishing lure leverages event branding and timely refund narratives to create urgency and lower recipient skepticism, while the use of instant messaging channels increases immediacy and reach. Summit organisers stressed that all legitimate communications would originate from official channels and ticketing platforms and warned participants not to enter payment details via unsolicited links. Cybersecurity advisors recommended immediate reporting, blocking of sender numbers, checking payment statements for unauthorized charges, and relying on conference apps and verified email domains for any payment or refund queries. The advisory highlights an ongoing trend of attackers weaponizing high‑profile tech events to scale credential and card‑data theft.