A few cases have surfaced in which fake arrests were made through video calls by scamsters who pretended to be from the CBI, ED, or the Police force. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has taken notice of these and has clarified that the CBI, police, customs, ED or judges do not arrest people through video calls. The I4C issued a public advisory in view of the rising cases of 'digital arrest' crimes in the country. The federal cyber security agency unit termed it a scam and cautioned people against falling prey to such scams.
The advisory issued by the I4C read, "Don't Panic, Stay Alert. CBI/Police/Custom/ED/Judges DO NOT arrest you on video call."
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The advisory displayed logos of social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Skype, highlighting that scammers often use these services to make fraudulent calls. These platforms have previously stated that they are working with government cybersecurity agencies to enhance user protection against such threats.
The I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) encouraged the public to report these scams by contacting the central helpline at 1930 or visiting the official website at www.cybercrime.gov.in.
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What Is Digital Arrest?
"Digital arrest" refers to a cybercrime tactic where scammers impersonate law enforcement officials through SMS or video calls, falsely accusing a person or their family members of involvement in serious crimes like drug trafficking or money laundering. The fraudster then traps the victim by instructing them to keep their phone cameras on, simulating a form of "digital arrest."
During this time, the criminal pressures the victim to transfer money online, claiming it’s required to resolve or "bail them out" of the fabricated situation.