According to current government data, ‘digital arrest’ fraud schemes cost Indians almost Rs 120.3 crore in the first quarter of 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted this fraud, among other scandals, in his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday (October 27).
Between January 1 and April 30, this year, the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal received 0.74 million complaints, compared to 1.5 million in 2023. According to the Indian Express, 0.96 million complaints were made in 2022, up significantly from 0.45 million in 2021.
In a report released in May, chief executive of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Rajesh Kumar, provided details on cybercrime losses during this period. He mentioned Indian citizens lost Rs 120.3 crore through digital arrest scams, Rs 1,420.48 crore to trading scams, Rs 222.58 crore in investment scams, and Rs 13.23 crore in romance scams.
The Ministry of Home Affairs oversees the I4C, and its data indicate that digital arrest schemes are becoming increasingly common. About 46 per cent of the perpetrators of these frauds are believed to be operating mainly from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.
In his address, PM Modi underscored the dangers of digital arrest fraud by sharing an audio clip of a fraudster impersonating a police officer, who instructed a victim to disclose their Aadhaar number to block a mobile number. “This audio is a serious warning, not entertainment… It illustrates the deceit involved in Digital Arrest frauds,” PM Modi cautioned.
The scam typically begins with fraudsters notifying potential victims of a suspicious package allegedly containing illegal items. The victims are later contacted via video call by individuals impersonating law enforcement, who demand payments to ‘settle’ the issue. During these calls, victims are forced to stay connected visually, under what fraudsters term a ‘digital arrest’, until they comply with their financial demands.
The I4C’s data analysis for January to April 2024 shows that nearly 46 per cent of cyber frauds reported in India originated from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, with cumulative losses across all fraud types amounting to an estimated Rs 1,776 crore.
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Source: Business Standard
