This article has been written by Rohaan Thyagaraju a BBA LLB student at Symbiosis International University
Abstract:
This article extensively dwells on the digital arrest scams in India that have evolved and are now popular with examples across the country’s major cities. It looks at how these scams evolved from traditional telephone fraud to the current digital world and how they have taken advantage of technology and society’s psychological aspects. As it enunciates the relations between scammers and their targets, it underscores how fleas fit their modus operandi to particular locales, using local circumstances including The article provides effective recommendations on how to tell if something is ‘fishy’ and learn more about digital arrest scams, emphasizing the need to become a wise consumer of information and spread awareness.
Keywords: Cybercrime Digital Fraud Scam prevention Online Security Social engineering
Introduction:
During the twilight hours of Saturday, Priya found herself entangled in a predicament . She received an unknown call and when asked for his name, he claimed to be an official from the Mumbai Cyber Crime Unit and robustly insisted that he felt some suspicious business in the accounts and, thus, she would be investigated for money laundering. In addition, he said she would be vindicated if paid some ransom which she impulsively agreed to.
Perhaps, the truth is that every day, various individuals like Priya encounter such digital arrest scams in different cities of India, right from the capital city of New Delhi to the land of the temple, i.e., Tamil Nadu. The scammers adopt modern techniques coupled with basic strategies of threats and coercion, destroying people’s financial lives and their trust along the way.[1]
Though knowledge is power, as long as we do not know how scam operations are conducted and equip ourselves with relevant knowledge, we can only fight against the sea of cyber falsehood. Let this be your comprehensive help identifying and steering clear from the dark world of online arrest scams.
Background:
It is possible to distinguish the roots of modern digital arrest scams in the traditions of fraud via telephone. However, today, they have developed completely differently due to the opportunities provided by smartphones and social networks. In essence, these scams exploit a fundamental human fear: one of the worst feelings any person could have is the feeling of being accused of a crime one has not committed. IT employees come out of the woodwork here in Tamil Nadu, the best place to poach talented people, and the scammers have learnt to speak the language and mimic the modus operandi of a genuine cybercrime investigation.[2] [3] As of 2023, the Chennai City Police registered more than 2Lakh cases of digital arrest tricksters, and the people lost around crores. Among the worst of such incidents was a software engineer from Coimbatore who was obsessed with the idea that he would be arrested on tax fraud charges. They convinced him they were from the Income Tax Department and persuaded him to transfer all his saved money to secure accounts for himself, stating that his money would be safe with them until the investigation was over. Delhi, the political power hub, has a different version of these frauds. Due to the capital’s closeness to authority, there is always a high risk of fraudsters posing as officers from the central agencies, including the CBI and the ED. The following example is the case from 2024, where a retired bureaucrat lost ₹12 crore to fraudsters, who posed a law enforcement group of the Delhi Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The combination of these factors creates a perfect setting for the arrest of digital scams in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. A fast and dynamic lifestyle combined with the fact that most of the banking and financial institutions are located in this city also contribute to this kind of strategy. In the year 2023, the Police Department of Mumbai Cyber Cell found a 300 per cent rise in arrest fraud on digital platforms compared to the previous year. Another highly developed and malicious trend recently identified in Mumbai is the use of threats of money laundering accusations. They commonly prey on young employees in multinational corporations, telling them that their bank accounts have been frozen or reported to have engaged in money laundering.
These scams are still active, and they are continuing to diversify, and, at the same time, professionalism is rising. Today, hackers employ voice cloning based on artificial intelligence to mimic authoritative voices and create identical clones of official governmental websites. They have also been extremely good at using actual events and people’s fears, adjusting scripts according to the latest trends and shifting regulations. The high-tech embracing culture displayed by the people of India and the disparities of technological proficiency make the environment ideal for such frauds to germinate and grow. As we delve deeper into the mechanics of these frauds and how to protect ourselves, remember: thus, while the need for scepticism is not unique to the era of digitalization, being sceptical today must be considered necessary.
The current scenario
The digital arrest scams that are currently dominating India are a perfect combination of technology, social economy persona, and psychological warfare. This is why one needs to look at this method of influence from as many perspectives as possible to fight it effectively.
India has seen breakneck growth in the digital environment, with many opportunities and risks. While campaigns like Digital India have connected millions of people to the Internet,[4] they have also presented semi-literate and fresh Internet users to complex cyber threats. Fraudsters improve their statuses using the most advanced procedures and devices.
It lets them convincingly mimic various authority figures; the recent scamming activity in Mumbai that involved the voice cloning of a well-known police officer is a perfect example. Some of these technologically advanced operations even use deep fakes to make video calls that imitate police officers. Also, fraudsters design almost identical replicas of government agencies’ genuine websites and applications, using search engine optimization tricks that would place them on top of the list.
Alas, the success of these scams is also explained by the specifics of the South Asian nation, namely India. Capitalists might promise they will not attract legal troubles, but this assurance explains why people want to maintain their wealth in a society where people get paid differently. Coupled with a society’s cultural disposition of respecting authority, many people will not quarrel or dispute supposed law enforcers. In addition, illiteracy in law among many people makes it easier for con artists to formulate and pull on bogus stories surrounding the legal processes and penalties.
Digital arrest scams are based on simple human psychology. This is a sure way of getting people to run since the thought of arrest evokes the bare fight or flight instinct. It is a proven truth that people follow authorities’ instructions without questioning, even if the latter appears irrational; this is attributed to authority bias. Frequently, scammers threaten their victims with arrest, providing them with a time-sensitive message such as ‘act now, or you will be arrested’, which makes targets vulnerable to such quick choices. They also always state that ‘other people who were in your position have done the same,’ which appeals to conformity in people.
The expression of such SCAMS differs from one part of India. In Tamil Nadu, they are upgrading more scams appealing to the local IT workforce and adopting the technical terms; the main fear of losing a job to some legal problems is being used effectively. In Delhi, nearness to government centres is employed to facilitate the legitimacy of frauds whereby the perpetrators mimic being from central established bodies. Mumbai mainly gets those scams involving banking frauds and money laundering allegations involving people and companies.
Many factors hinder the fight against these scams. Concerning the jurisdiction factor, the scammers cross state borders to execute their intents, making the crackdown difficult for the police. It is challenging to track scammers down because of VPNs, encrypted messaging, and cryptocurrency. Under-reporting is rife, for the majority of victims are ashamed and afraid of going to court to report such cases. Also, scammers are very creative in their work, meaning they are always a step ahead of awareness campaign campaigns and even law enforcement.
In developing new technologies, it is possible to predict new trends in digital arrest scams. This guarantees the further use of AI systems, making, for example, chatbots and other AI-based interactions more and more realistic and efficient in conducting scams. Unfortunately, as more households install innovative systems for home management and control, there can be fresh ideas in the caller’s scams, applying the dwelling’s connected devices to apply pressure and harvesting information. It also points out the capability of introducing new facets of augmented reality technology to make simulated false arrests even scarier for subjects.
Thus, awareness of these various facets of digital arrest scams is necessary to create more efficient prevention, educate people, and encourage them to be more cautious in the future as the role of digital technologies grows progressively. With time, we are still likely to come across more of such trends; thus, remaining informed and defensively secure is the best offence against these digital gurus.
Anatomy of a Digital Arrest Scam
A hectic working environment of a fake call centre in the outskirts of Delhi and employees instead of handling client calls[6]. Distinctions for the scammers with scripts, spoofing numbers and lists of potential targets. This is the other side of digital arrest scams, increasingly becoming a menace to innocent people in India.
The Initial Contact
Sometimes, it may come as a phone call or a text message, and at other times, it may come as a suggestion from a friend or spouse. So, in the context of Tamil Nadu, the prevalence of a large IT working population makes it easy for fraudsters to target those employed in some of the largest IT companies. They purported to be from the “Cyber Crime Investigation Units” of imaginary combined entities of local police forces and foreign organizations.
A 28-year-old software developer from Chennai calls him, stating that his identification details were used to open several bank accounts for the conducting of money laundering activities[7]. The threat made by the scammer appeared to be more believable as the guy knew some technical terms and knew that the victim worked in an office environment.
The Pressure Tactics
Once contact is established, scammers employ a range of psychological tactics to keep their victims off-balance: Once contact is established, scammers hire a range of psychological tactics to keep their victims off-balance:
– Urgency: They threatened me by saying that your accounts will be frozen within the next hour if you do not do as you are told.
– Authority: “This is a combined effort of police from Mumbai and International police-Interpol.”
– Fear: “Failure to adhere to these laws will lead to arrest, and the individual will be paraded in the streets. ’’
In one Mumbai Bandra-based scam, the persecutors, who claimed to be from the so-called “Reserve Bank of India Fraud Division”, configured and regulated the targeted woman for over 8 hours in the course of the duration of the con and kept threatening and persuading her until she submits.
The “Verification” Process
To execute their wickedness, scammers will take the victims to websites that are clones of genuine government sites. A highly professional ring appears to be working on the Delhi Police Cyber Cell, and it created a fake clone of the Delhi Police Cyber Cell site along with a phoney case number and other official documents.
They are requested to provide some information of significance “to confirm the authenticity of the client,” and the keys to the digital life of the victim are handed over.
The Financial Trap
The final stage is always financially milking the opponent. Methods include:
– “The counterpart be locked away in safe government accounts”, it said.
– Buying gift cards or cryptocurrencies for what can be considered as “bail.”
– Entrusting all to pay “fines” to avoid arrest.
An elderly lady, a retired teacher from Tamil Nadu, was defrauded of her entire pension payout worth ₹32 lakh after being told that it was required as ‘security’ during a sham investigation.
Conclusion: Empowerment Through Awareness
It is essential to know that such simple tricks are at the disposal of scammers because the world is gradually becoming more digitalized. With this information and a good measure of cynicism, few prospective victims saw the signs of danger in late-night phone calls. Rather than panicking, they hung up and reported the incident to the genuine Cyber Crime Unit using the appropriate authorities’ number.
Specifically, criminals tend to act successfully when there is much fear, confusion, and uncertainty or when people do not have enough information[10]. If the public is informed and remains alert to such scams, it is possible to elude such online slashes. From the IT capital of India, Tamil Nadu, to the financial capital of India, Mumbai and the political capital of India, New Delhi, Indians are countering this cyber threat, one aware citizen at a time.
The next time someone unfamiliar calls you or a message with a stranger’s address gets into your mailbox, think. Take a deep breath. The red flags should be remembered along with the lessons leaning on instincts. The best armour against fraud in the present world full of technology is your sceptical mind that has been enlightened. Are you next? If equipped with adequate knowledge and awareness, one is capable of ladling the answer to that question with a ‘No.’
[1] https://www.manoramayearbook.in/current-affairs/india/2024/05/15/digital-arrest-upsc-explained.html
[2]https://www.msn.com/en-in/lifestyle/smart-living/beware-of-joker-the-new-cyber-scam-that-uses-money-mules/ar-BB1ne8Tk
[3] https://www.the420.in/all-you-need-to-know-about-digital-arrest-a-novel-cybercrime-trend/
[4] https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/digital-arrest-is-the-latest-weapon-in-the-arsenal-of-cybercriminals-2959648
[5] https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/noida-businessman-loses-rs-5-lakh-in-digital-arrest-scam-what-is-it-tips-to-protect-yourself-article-111090005
[6] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/fraudsters-force-72-year-old-into-digital-arrest-empties-rs-83-lakh-from-her-bank-accounts/articleshow/111317210.cms?from=mdr
[7] https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chennai-police-bust-international-network-involved-in-online-financial-scams/article68310855.ece
[8] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=2020570
[9] https://www.the420.in/cybercrime-digital-arrest-scam-alert-india-2024/
[10] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/fraudsters-resort-to-digital-arrest-and-extort-money-from-victims/articleshow/110375607.cms
