Trap 12. ‘I Am Calling From A Government Agency, And You Need To Pay Up’

If you get a call from any government or law enforcement agency, such as the police, the income tax department, the customs department, or any of the regulators including RBI, Sebi or the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), it’s most likely a fraudulent call that should immediately make you suspicious.

In May 2024, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) released a report stating that it has received a large number of complaints regarding intimidation, blackmail, extortion, and “digital arrests” by cybercriminals posing as police authority, or personnel from the Central Bureau of Investigation, Narcotics Control Bureau, RBI, Enforcement Directorate, Customs, and other law enforcement agencies.

Digital arrest is a new type of cyber scam where cybercriminals impersonate law enforcement officials or other government authorities and contact victims randomly through messaging apps like WhatsApp or over the phone. Their spiel typically involves telling people that their bank accounts, digital identities, or other online assets have been compromised or they are being inspected against some legal crime. Such calls might claim you owe money, are under investigation, or that they need to verify your personal details.

But it is important to realise that a genuine approach by these agencies will likely be in the form of an official notice or mail. Moreover, agencies will not ask you to pay money.

Says Nitin Pandey, a national cybersecurity expert, who is now serving as a researcher and trainer at the CyberPeace Foundation:  “Cybercriminals scare victims, incite panic by way of threat, fabricating proof, and demanding large sums of money to escape any legal repercussions. The threat actors pose as law enforcement authorities, including police or customs agents, and trick people into thinking they are about to be digitally arrested for spurious legal offenses.”

Scammers usually also show fake documents and use authoritative language to intimidate you. They leverage people’s fear of authority while threatening with imminent arrest, legal repercussions, or public humiliation if they don’t cooperate with their urgent demands.

But it is important to understand that no government agency will call you and ask for money. “In India, there is no legal provision for a digital arrest, and no authority has the power to restrict your movement or detain you during an investigation purely through digital means,” says Pandey.

A key red flag is the demand for immediate action, such as payment or sharing sensitive information. Genuine officials, typically, do not threaten or pressure individuals over the phone and would usually provide notice through formal channels like mail.