Nowadays, with the increasing use of internet and digital technology, new methods of cyber fraud are also emerging. One of these is Digital Arrest, in the name of which fraudsters are looting lakhs of rupees from people. If someone calls you and scares you by claiming to be an officer of the police, CBI or Income Tax Department and talks about Digital Arrest, then be careful – this is a cyber fraud or a kind of online scam, which has no existence in Indian law.
Earlier, fraudsters used to use different tricks to scam people’s hard earned money. One is the most famous OLX fraud which shared by a number of users on Reddit and Quora. Upon posting ads on OLX, the seller start getting calls from buyers and among them one buyer confirms the deal by sending a booking amount of Rs 2000 or 3000 via gPay. In reality, the buyer (scammer) was not sending the booking amount, instead he tricking seller to accept the amount and enter pin to confirm it. This happened with lakhs of users in India and all these sent money to the scammers’ account by mistake and later they found out that they were scammed.
This is not a single case of online fraud, some people create fake websites and runs ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram so that people order the product. They keep the website design, their look & style and images same as original website + for assurance they offer cash on delivery service, means you have to pay the money only if you receive the product. A delivery boy will come at your door with a package that you ordered and ask for payment. There you get scammed because the product is fake or useless or completely different. I have explained this type of e-commerce scam in this separate article, and you must read it if you don’t want to become a victim of it.
There is another case where scammers call you and say In 2012 you or your father took a loan of this much amount from us. Your loan amount is complete, however you didn’t pay the final file charges… please pay that amount as early as possible and we will issue NOC and close the file. This can be vice-versa, as explained on HDFC bank, the scammer will ask you to pay an advance or processing fee before the loan gets approved. This type of scam falls under the category of loan recovery fraud or extortion scams and it has been seen many people pay the charges as they demand only Rs 2000-3000!
These scam related things are like games for the fraudsters. They find a loophole, build a plot, and try to scam people. When these tricks start to fade, and people come to know that something illegal is happening, the fraudsters start working on new plot and scam people and among them the latest one is Digital Arrest scam which is nothing but a scam tick to extort money!
What is digital arrest?
Digital arrest is a fraud or scam, in which fraudsters threaten people by calling or through video call that a serious case has been registered against them and they will be immediately taken into “digital arrest”. These fraudsters introduce themselves as police officers, inspector of cyber cell or an officer of any government department and mentally scare the victim so much that he is ready to agree to everything they say.
As published on The Hindu, A digital arrest scam is an online scam that defrauds victims of their hard-earned money. The scammers intimidate the victims and falsely accuse them of illegal activities. They later demand money and puts them under pressure for making the payment.
How digital arrest scam works?
- Fake call or message: Fraudsters call you suddenly or send you a message on your mobile number. Sometimes they spoof the phone number to make it look like a real government number.
- Making serious allegations: They tell you that your Aadhaar Card, Pan Card, Bank account or Mobile number has been used in money laundering, drug trafficking or any cyber crime.
- Intimidation and pressure: They say that if you do not obey them immediately, you will be “digitally arrested” or your bank account will be frozen.
- Surveillance on video call: In many cases, the fraudsters keep the victim on video call and convince them by showing a fake police station scene. During the call, they can show you some proofs or paper work with notary stamps or other government stamps or legal notices.
- Demand for money: Finally, they ask you to transfer money in the name of “bail” or “fine”. Sometimes the victim is even asked to take a loan or withdraw his savings. And in the name of digital arrest, this is how they complete the scam.
Recent cases: How are people becoming victims?
There have been many cases of digital arrest in the last few months. Hundreds of people have fallen prey to this fraud in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad.
- In one case as reported on Times of India, a woman from Hyderabad was called and told that drugs were found in a parcel in her name and she would be “cyber arrested”. Out of fear, she transferred Rs 3.4 lakh to the fraudsters.
- In another case, someone called a Delhi man named professor Kamta Prasad Singh and told him that his Aadhaar card had been misused in illegal activities and he would have to deposit Rs 10-13 lakh immediately, otherwise he would be arrested. According to Hindustan article, the victim gave the money, but later it was found out that it was a fraud.
There are many more such cases of digital arrests and still fraudsters are committing frauds across India.
Government and police action
The Government of India and the cyber cell are taking steps to prevent such scams. People can complain about these scams through the “Chakshu Portal” and “National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal”. Apart from this, telecom companies like Jio, VI, Airtel, Bsnl, have been instructed to block international spoof calls and they also educating their subscribers by playing pre-recorded messages.
Regarding this matter, Prime Minister Modi has also issued a warning to the public regarding this scam, urging them to report any such incidents to the cyber helpline which are X (formerly Twitter) (@CyberDost), Facebook(CyberDostI4C), Instagram (cyberDostI4C), and Telegram(cyberdosti4c).
At present, the reserve bank of India (RBI), and public & private sector banks like SBI, PNB, Bank of Baroda, and other banks Axis, ICICI, Kotak, HDFC educating their users do not fall in this trap and if something is fishy report to nearest police station. RBI warns against this rising digital arrest scams and advised – staying calm, not sharing personal info, and reporting suspicious calls immediately.
.@RBI Kehta hai..
DIGITAL ARREST is a SCAM to extort money!
Beware of such calls!
Don’t panic – there is nothing like digital arrest
Don’t share any personal/financial information
Don’t pay
Immediately report to https://t.co/Wu6bf0pAgy or call 1930 for help#RBI #RBIKehtaHai pic.twitter.com/BGulARmHC4— RBI Says (@RBIsays) February 21, 2025
How to protect yourself?
- Do not trust unknown numbers: If someone calls you claiming to be a police or government official, first verify his identity. You can take your time and check everything carefully. The thing is police never call you like this and if they call they say report at this station. Based on your area, you must have knowledge about the nearest and authorized police station.
- Do not transfer money: No government department arrests you by asking for money over the phone. So never ever pay the money in cash or online via UPI or credit/debit cards.
- Do not get trapped in video calls: If someone is constantly scaring you by keeping you on video calls, disconnect the call immediately. You can even report about this in nearest police care centre!
- Consult family or friends: In such a situation, do not take decisions alone, talk to a trusted person. You can contact your family members or if any advocate is in your known then take his/her advice.
- Report immediately: If you feel that you are being cheated, immediately call the cyber crime helpline 1930 or register a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in or you can report on @CyberDost (X), CyberDostI4C (Facebook).
Conclusion
Digital arrest is a terrible online cyber fraud which is rising day by day. In this, people are mentally harassed and money is extorted from them via UPI or bank transfer. Remember, there is no such thing as “digital arrest” in Indian law. If you are vigilant and follow the measures mentioned above, you can avoid such scams. Be aware, be alert and tell others about this too and if possible report the matter in nearest police station or at cybercrime.gov.in.
This is the latest on Digital arrest and how can avoid being scammed. Don’t panic, don’t trust on any non-sense or unknown call and don’t share personal information like Aadhar card, Pan, OTP. By following these steps, you can protect yourself from being scammed and your money will remain saved in your bank account which will give you mental peace.
