A 78-year-old woman from Indiranagar, Bengaluru, recently lost ₹38 lakh in a well-designed “digital arrest scam,” according to a report in India Press. This cyber fraud case highlights how fraudsters are using fear, threats, and impersonation of officials to cheat unsuspecting victims.
Cybercrime police said the woman received a phone call on 11 March from scammers posing as officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA). They falsely claimed her documents were linked to money laundering and pornography cases, and said a bank account in her name has been utilised to fund terror activities.
The scammers forced her to stay on a WhatsApp video call for hours, threatening immediate arrest if she spoke to anyone for 72 hours. Under pressure, she transferred ₹38 lakh via RTGS to a current account provided by the fraudsters, believing it was a part of an “RBI verification.”
Given the repetitive nature of such scams, police authorities have confirmed that no law enforcement agency in the country conducts investigations via video calls or requests that citizens transfer funds to meet investigative obligations.
How do such ‘digital arrest’ scams work?
Such scams follow a certain pattern, detailed in steps below:
- Pose as officers from reputed national agencies such as CBI or NIA.
- Claim that the victims’ accounts are linked to criminal activities.
- Criminal activities claimed can be: terror-related, drug-related, or other serious offences.
- Victims are then forced to stay on calls for hours and are isolated from family members.
- Pressure tactics are used to force them to transfer funds for security checks/ verification.
5 important lessons to protect yourself from such frauds
Keeping the pattern of these scams in mind, here are five lessons that you must follow diligently to protect yourself from such scams:
Why awareness matters for your finances
Cybercrime can drain your life savings in minutes. Such a situation can be emotionally challenging to manage and comes with serious long-term consequences. Do not fall for such threats and speak to a practising advocate so you can respond sensibly and protect your finances.
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