What Is `Digital Arrest` Scam? Alleged Call From Cops, Smuggling Claims, Lakhs Of Rupees Gone - Know All About It

Isha Bhatt (name changed) received a call when she was working in her Noida office from an IVR number, where the operator claimed he was calling from Lucknow customs. He said that a parcel had been booked in her name - she is the sender - to a Myanmar address which contained illegal contents, including MDMA Narcotics Drugs as well as some 20-odd passports. 

Isha narrates, "I was shocked and I said I have never sent such a parcel. Also, I am based out of Noida, why would I send a parcel from Lucknow? The guy asked me if I had shared my Aadhar Card details recently and if yes, maybe it was a fraud. Now, I had travelled a few months back and had shared details with a travel agent, so I got even more confused and his arguments sounded convincing."

The guy then told Isha he would forward the call to the Lucknow cybercrime department where she could raise a complaint. "But I was warned to act fast, else I would be in serious trouble for couriering illegal stuff," Isha says. Going on to describe her incident, she adds, "My call was transferred and then a guy who claimed to be a cop took all the details from me, which the alleged customs guy provided me. Then he first tried to scare me by asking things like, 'Are you sure you or someone in your family is not sending the parcel?'. When I insisted, he said okay, download Skype on your phone and then call us. He also mentioned that he would stay on the phone as I downloaded the app. After that, I would have to virtually lodge an FIR. It was then something struck me as odd. I told them I would call my family and get back. They tried to dissuade me and at one point even got angry. I hung up."

While Isha escaped narrowly, not everyone has been lucky. According to reports, a 70-year-old journalist in Bengaluru city allegedly lost Rs 1.20 crore after cyber fraudsters, posing as FedEx courier staff and a Narcotics Control Bureau official, claiming to possess a parcel in her name that contained illegal items, swindled her. Similarly, in another case in Noida, the woman downloaded Skype, and the callers, claiming to be cops, forced her to remain seated for approximately seven hours in front of the screen by "digitally" arresting her.

A ‘digital arrest’ is a deceptive tactic used by cybercriminals to exploit people under the guise of law enforcement or investigative agencies. The scamsters asked her for details - name and bank account - to clear her name and succeeded in siphoning around Rs 3.7 lakhs from her account.

Across the country, several variants of the scam have been reported and police have urged people to exercise caution and increase their awareness. Former SP in Cyber Cell and cyber expert, Triveni Singh, was quoted by IANS as saying that people should be aware that no legitimate agency will request presence on a Skype call for matters of investigation or arrest. There is nothing like a ‘digital arrest’.