In his Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alerted citizens to a new cyber fraud known as “digital arrest”, where scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials to frighten individuals and extort money.

Recent data from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) indicate that Indian citizens lost a staggering ₹120.3 crore to digital arrest scams alone in the first quarter of 2023. These scams are among the most reported cyber frauds submitted to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is responsible for handling cybercrime complaints. In total, cyber frauds in early 2023 amounted to ₹1,776 crore, with 46 per cent of these cases reportedly originating from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) has also recorded an upward trend in cybercrime complaints, with 740,000 complaints lodged in the first four months of 2023, a considerable rise from 452,000 complaints filed in 2021.

How it works

In a digital arrest scam, scammers fabricate a scenario — money laundering, drug trafficking, and such others — and warn the victim of impending imprisonment. In some cases, scammers even assert that a friend or a family member of the victim is involved in criminal activity.

The fraudsters may even conduct video calls while wearing uniforms to impersonate law enforcement, demanding payment in exchange for closing the so-called “case”. This has become the standard modus operandi of cyber criminals.

According to I4C, digital arrest scams typically follow a calculated sequence:

Identify the victim: They target individuals after gathering personal information to enhance their credibility.

Impersonation: Scammers pose as officials from the police, CBI, or other agencies, sometimes donning fake uniforms or using staged backgrounds to induce fear.

Apply pressure: The victim is pressed to act urgently to avoid arrest, with demands for money to “close” the case.

Awareness is the best defence against such scams. Be cautious of any unexpected audio or video calls from supposed law enforcement or government officials making alarming claims. Disconnect immediately if you suspect the call is fraudulent. Prevent video calls from unknown numbers.

Avoid sharing personal details that could assist scammers in targeting others within your network. Under no circumstances transfer money to settle a supposed case. Instead, contact the local police on official helplines, and, if needed, temporarily block your bank accounts as a further safeguard.

Retain any evidence, such as screenshots or call recordings, for reporting purposes. The best course of action is to visit your nearest police station with all the details you have.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has provided specific recommendations to prevent falling prey to scams: confirm the identity of any caller claiming to represent a government agency by directly contacting the organisation; avoid sharing personal or financial information with unknown callers or over the internet; never transfer money under duress; reputable agencies will not demand immediate payments; and in case of doubt, report incidents to the national cyber-security helpline at 1930 or through the cybercrime website.

If you suspect you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately to see if a reversal is possible and request a temporary account freeze to prevent further losses.

Submit a formal report to your local cybercrime department and on the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal, providing any available evidence of the scam.

Staying informed and aware are essential in this age of digital scams, as fraudsters continuously devise new methods to deceive unsuspecting individuals.

Sagar is co-founder of Future Shift Labs, and Shubham is an expert ethical hacker

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