Don’t fall prey to ‘digital arrest’

The police across the country, including Telangana, has been receiving complaints from victims of such frauds.

Hyderabad: With the cases of extortion and ‘digital arrest’ frauds on the rise, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) working under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory asking the citizens to be alert about such frauds.

The police across the country, including Telangana, has been receiving complaints from victims of such frauds.

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The law enforcement agencies suspect this to be an organised online economic crime and is learnt to be operated by cross-border crime syndicates.

The officials said a large number of complaints were being reported on National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion and ‘Digital Arrests’ by cybercriminals posing as Police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Enforcement Directorate and other Law Enforcement agencies.

Explaining the modus operandi, officials said these fraudsters typically call a potential victim and inform that the victim has sent or is the intended recipient of a parcel, which contains illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or any other contraband item.

“Sometimes, they also inform that a near or dear one of the victim has been found to be involved in a crime or an accident and is in their custody. A demand for money is made to compromise the case,” the official said.

In certain instances, unsuspecting victims are made to undergo ‘digital arrest’ and remain visually available over Skype or other video conferencing platforms to the fraudsters, till their demands are met.

The fraudsters are known to use studios modelled on police stations and government offices and wear uniforms to appear genuine.

The I4C has also blocked more than 1,000 Skype IDs involved in such activities, in collaboration with Microsoft. It also facilitated blocking SIM cards, Mobile devices and Mule accounts used by such fraudsters. I4C has also issued various alerts through infographics and videos on its social media platform ‘Cyberdost’ e.g. X, Facebook, Instagram and others.

The I4C team advised citizens to be alert and spread awareness about these types of fraud. Upon receipt of such calls, the citizens should immediately report the incident on the cybercrime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for assistance.

An official of Telangana police said people should not panic about getting such a call and contact the local police and lodge a complaint.

What is digital house arrest scam?

Digital house arrest scam refers to a fraud wherein skilled impersonators pretend to be law enforcement officers — such as police, customs, CBI or NIA — and tell the victim that an inquiry has been ordered against him/her for the unlawful use of their account, SIM card, Aadhaar card or other cards linked to their bank account.

The person is not allowed to leave the house and is forced to disconnect from their friends, relatives and acquaintances for a few hours.

On the pretext of questioning, the fraudsters collect bank details and con the victim into downloading mobile or computer-based applications hack into the bank accounts and transfer money.

In a few cases, the people are forced to pay up to close the case.