Rising 'Digital Arrest' Scams in India

INTRODUCTION

The recent trends shifting towards cyber fraud and crimes are increasing enormously in India. With more victims falling prey in the hands of what is known as a ‘digital arrest’, it has become a grave concern for the government and the common man. A Digital arrest is not a legal term but can be seen to have emerged from the fraudulent practice of unlawful detention of a person through digital platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Skype by impersonating a government official like a policeman, a CBI officer, or a customs officer, etc. The victims are told that there is an inquiry on them for an illegal transaction, delivery, or some other crime, and in the guise of ‘helping them through the procedure’, such officials ask to transfer money into a bank account or UPI ID. The entire conversation is planned so professionally that it seems almost real to any common man. With the fear of such criminal charges, they deposit the money asked and that is how the scammers vanish leaving no trails behind. People are at risk of losing their financial resources by being deceived by fake officials who create such pressurized situations that it becomes impossible to differentiate between what is wrong and what is correct. We often come across cases involving digital fraud through calls and messages, but this new scam accompanies the ability to target even the most intelligent and educated individuals. It can be seen as a potential threat to the working of cyber security and thousands of businessmen who are at risk of losing their money.

CURRENT SCENARIO IN INDIA

The current situation in India can be seen by the fact that cases of such scams are rising alarmingly, with more than 40 cases in Delhi alone from November 2024 to January 2025, the police departments are facing a new challenge. The tracking of such fraudsters is difficult as they use various accounts and turn the deposits into cryptocurrency which makes it impossible to locate. The IDs and phone numbers used in such scams are also untraceable and vanish as soon as the stealing of money is done and the accounts get frozen giving away no further details of the fraudsters. The problem with tackling such situations lies not only in the fact that this new scam targets people who are vulnerable to such threats of digital arrest but also in the existing defects of our legal framework. Digitalization in India has not been utilized in its true capacity and the users are not aware of its proper use, Moreover, no comprehensive code for dealing with such fraud is established, and this results in the same procedure of tracking, locating, and identifying the scammers that have been used previously and in most of the cases of digital arrest that does not happen at all. A report by the Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that more than 1700 Skype IDs and 59,000 WhatsApp accounts were used for Digital Arrest in the last five months. An instant action team is what the current time asks for, not only to deal with cases that have already happened but also to prevent further occurrences. A closer look at the condition of different states and union territories in India would help us understand the seriousness of this problem.

According to the report published in The Tribune, seven out of every ten cybercrimes registered in Himachal Pradesh are of Digital Arrest, DIG, or CID Cybercrime, Mohit Chawla says that many a time, the scamsters use Artificial Intelligence to mimic the voices of the family members of the victim and the voices are so exact that it is very difficult to not to believe. He adds that most of the time, the victims are either senior citizens or middle-aged persons. The reason behind the targeting of this specific group can be due to their vulnerability to falling into such traps. A similar trend can be seen in Punjab where more than 30 cases were registered out of which 17 included senior citizens or retired officials who were looted online. Punjab Police's Cybercrime Division busted an inter-state gang involved in digital arrest cyber fraud with the arrest of two Assam-based men for their involvement in the fraud in November.

The case of Youtuber and social media influencer Ankush Bahuguna sent shocks across the Internet where Ankush revealed how he became a victim of digital arrest for more than 40 hours and the mental toll he suffered through it. The case is an example of how even such public faces who are active on various social media platforms can become victims of digital arrest.

Cases in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and other states are also increasing at an alarming level with more than 310 cases in Uttar Pradesh alone in the last three months. The police cyber team is launching different operations on a multilevel basis to identify the callers or fraudsters and initiate necessary actions.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

The call for immediate action has led to government authorities gearing up to react in full thrust to such scammers, some of the major advances done are:

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up an ‘Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’ (I4C) as an attached office to deal with various cybercrimes that are committed to breach national security or financial status.

2. The Central Government has launched a comprehensive awareness program about Digital arrest scams so that more users can become familiar with such risks and act calmly and prevent their losses.

3. The Central Government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers that appear to be originating within India. Such international spoofed calls have been made by cyber-criminals in recent cases of fake digital arrests, FedEx scams, impersonation of government and police officials, etc. Directions have been issued to the TSPs for blocking such incoming international spoofed calls.

4. The Central government through its press release on 27 November 2024 shared an alert against cases of ‘Blackmail’ and ‘Digital Arrest’ by Cyber Criminals Impersonating State/UT Police, NCB, CBI, RBI, and other Law Enforcement Agencies.

5. The ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ (https://cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched, as a part of the I4C, to enable the public to report incidents about all types of cybercrimes, with a special focus on cybercrimes against women and children.

6. All states and UTs are advised to lay out proper instructions to their cyber teams to deal with scams and online fraud transactions. Special units are constituted to make the work more efficient.

7. To spread awareness of cybercrime, the Central Government has taken steps which, inter alia, include; dissemination of messages through SMS, I4C social media accounts i.e. X (formerly Twitter) (@CyberDost), Facebook(CyberDostI4C), Instagram (cyberDostI4C), Telegram(cyberdosti4c), Radio campaign, engaged MyGov for publicity in multiple mediums, organizing Cyber Safety and Security Awareness weeks in association with States/UTs, publishing of Handbook for Adolescents/Students, digital displays on railway stations and airports across, etc.

The above measures were a part of the press release presented in Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

WHAT MORE IS TO BE THERE?

The success of all the above measures taken by the government depends upon how effectively they are carried out on the ground level, the people must know how scams like digital arrest work and how they can save themselves from becoming victims. Proper awareness among the literates and illiterates through various broadcast media should be there. The cases registered should be taken into immediate consideration. Newspapers, TV, and social media can play a very important role in disseminating information. The police stations shall have upgraded software for responding to these threats. A department of specialized technicians dedicated to such work can prove to be of immense help.

CONCLUSION

The digital age in which we are living today is not limited to mere screen, it has indeed become a very powerful instrument and we must know how we are using it and how we are being used by it. A small tick on the checkbox and our entire life can be changed. The wrath of scams not only affect a person financially but also mentally and it is evident through numerous cases of people who became victims of frauds like digital arrest. It is not impossible to avoid such happenings if people become vigilant about their data, privacy and to whom they shall share their details and to who they shall not, in case a person has suffered loss due to such scams, they must contact the concerned authorities or immediately report the incident on cybercrime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for assistance. Awareness is the key to fighting these online scams.

REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES

1. The Tribune, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/7-of-10-cybercrime cases-in-state-of-digital-arrest/

2. Ministry of Home Affairs, Press release on DIGITAL ARREST SCAM, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2082761

3. Economic Times, Article on Ankush Baghuna January 5, 2025, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/i-was-crying-begging-for-help youtuber-ankush-bahuguna-speaks-out-after-40-hour-cyber-scam-digital-arrest ordeal/articleshow/116967773.cms?fro

4. The Hindu, ‘What is Digital Arrest’

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/digital-arrest-scam-how-to-protect yourself/article68806494.ece

5. Hindustan Times, ‘Report on Digital scams’