Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns over the increasing cases of a new kind of financial cyber fraud called ‘Digital Arrests’, in his latest edition of Mann Ki Baat.
In his address, he urged citizens to be vigilant, and shared a recorded conversation with a victim and a scammer to highlight the issue.
He further warned that there is no legal provision for such ‘digital arrests’ under Indian law.
What Is Digital Arrest?
This is a new sophisticated cyber scam where cybercriminals pose as officers from the police or other law enforcement, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Narcotics Control Bureau or government agencies.
The victims are mostly contacted out of the blue through instant messaging apps like WhatsApp or directly over the phone.
The fraudsters weave fabricated tales of crimes committed by the victim or their families to threaten, coerce or intimidate them. They tell victims that their bank accounts, digital identities, or other online assets are at risk or they are being inspected against some legal crime.
Modi stated that such cybercriminals target individuals across all age groups and economic backgrounds. The scammers use victims' fear and threaten them with imminent arrest, legal repercussions, or public humiliation if they don't cooperate with their urgent demands.
How Does It Work?
Fraudsters play the game of psychological manipulation with the victims.
Understanding that fear and urgency are powerful tools to cloud an individual’s judgement, they create a fabricated sense of crisis and pressure victims into taking hasty steps. This leaves little chance for victims to clear their thoughts or pursue verification.
Here are some typical tactics used by fraudsters to help you identify such scams:
Impersonation: The cybercriminals pose as law enforcement officials, bank agents, or other government authority agents. Sometimes, they may also show you forged documents, such as ID cards, etc. to convince you of their legitimacy.
Accusations: They will tell you a case of some serious or heinous crime under which you or any of your family members have been charged.
Slander Technique: On the basis of such serious crimes, the fraudsters pull you into ‘social defamation’ intimidations causing fear and panic. They may even threaten you with media involvement that would ruin your reputation.
Demands And Threats: The fraudsters will demand to provide your sensitive information, such as banking details/credentials, passwords, permanent account number (PAN) or Aadhaar numbers, including other personal ID numbers. Under digital arrest, the scammers threaten their victims to stay at home and ‘not to drop the call’.
If they have accused any of your family members of a crime and say the said person is arrested, the criminals will intimidate you into not calling the accused.
Fraud Setup: Cybercriminals go as far as to create an elaborate setup of a government office (such as a police station) and force you to stay on video calls while maintaining the illusion of authority.
They may even impersonate the accused family member and send you voice notes of them crying and asking for help.
This Is How You Can Avoid Digital Arrest Scam:
In his address, PM Modi underscored that authorised investigative agencies do not conduct inquiries over the phone or video calls. The PM urged citizens to not panic if they receive such calls, stressing on such fraudulent tactics that incite fear of legal repercussions.
To counter these scams, PM Modi noted a three-step approach to enhance digital security: “Stop – Think – Take Action”.
Says Nitin Pandey, Trainer & Security Researcher at CyberPeace Foundation, “In India, there is no legal provision for digital arrest or restricting the movement or locking a person for any crime during the investigation period.”
Cyber criminals scare victims and incite panic by using threatening language, fabricating proof, and demanding large sums of money to escape any legal repercussions.
To avoid such scams, he advises netizens to follow these strategies:
1. Always follow the 'Zero Trust Policy, Pause and Verify' for all digital transactions and messages from unknown people.
2. Netizens should stay calm and question the truth of the situation. Genuine legal issues are typically resolved through official channels, not sudden actions.
3. They should check any claims by contacting their local police station, a cyber helpline, or their lawyer before responding or taking any actions based on their instructions.
4. Never click on links, scan QR codes, or instal apps from messages or emails sent by strangers.
5. Never share personal sensitive information like your Aadhaar or PAN details, or your bank account or credit/debit card information. No law enforcement officials will demand you to give personal details, especially one concerning bank credentials, over a video/voice call or Whatsapp.
6. Be cautious of demands for money transfers over the phone or Internet, threats of urgent legal action, and unusual payment requests from strangers.
Modi has also encouraged victims of digital arrest to spread awareness of such cyber fraud using the hashtag #SafeDigitalIndia. He further appealed to educational institutions to involve students in campaigns against cyber scams to aware citizenry at every level.
If you ever receive such a call, report the incident on the cybercrime helpline number 1930 or government’s official cybercrime portal without delay to get help and alert the officials at the earliest.
