| Section | Details | ||
| How It Happens | – **Element of Surprise**: Scam typically begins with a call about a parcel. The caller might pretend to be an executive with information that: 1. ID was used to book a parcel containing illegal items, 2. Bank account was traced in money-laundering cases, or 3. SIM was used for funding of terrorist activity. – **Psychological Coercion**: Scammers leverage the threat of legal action and seek to coerce their targets into ‘settling’ the matter by paying fines. – **Isolation**: They isolate the target by: 1. Coaxing the person into a room alone, 2. Ensuring they stay online until they get their way, 3. Making virtual calls and linking audio/video, 4. Keeping targets away from genuine information sources. – **The Empty Call**: Cons tell their target that law enforcement will call, and the call is used to delay the target’s involvement in the investigation. | ||
| TOI Explains | – **What is a Digital Arrest?**: It’s a way con artists scare by restricting access to digital platforms or accounts or by monitoring and detaining them at their house through video calls. Fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials. They make threats of serious consequences unless the target can be booked before asking them to ‘settle’. – **Final Stage of Scam**: The conmen’s target is tricked into sharing sensitive information and making transactions. – **Monetary Transfer**: At the end, the target is asked to transfer money, sometimes to fake police officers. | ||
| Major Cases This Year | – **May 24**: A 72-year-old woman in Delhi lost Rs 1.36 crore to a digital arrest scam. Scammers claimed she had 40 bank accounts under her name involved in illegal activities. – **Feb 23**: A govt official in Ghaziabad was scammed into paying Rs 1.48 lakh. Scammers used psychological tactics to isolate and convince him to transfer money. – **Feb 11**: A 51-year-old Gurgaon man lost Rs 15 lakh to scammers posing as officials claiming he was under investigation for money laundering. – **Jan 20**: Four people arrested for cheating a woman in Delhi, posing as officials and claiming she was involved in a scam. | Section | Details |
| Cybercrime Growing | 2021: 32,230 fraud cases, 52,974 cybercrime cases, 2,883 extortion cases, 3,434 sextortion cases. 2022: 42,710 fraud cases, 65,893 cybercrime cases, 4,535 extortion cases, 3,464 sextortion cases. | How It Happens | Element of Surprise: Scam typically begins with a call about a parcel. The caller might pretend to be an executive with information that: 1) ID was used to book a parcel containing illegal items, 2) Bank account was traced in money-laundering cases, or 3) SIM was used for funding of terrorist activity. |
| Psychological Coercion: Scammers leverage the threat of legal action and seek to coerce their targets into ‘settling’ the matter by paying fines. | |||
| Isolation: They isolate the target by: 1) Coaxing the person into a room alone, 2) Ensuring they stay online until they get their way, 3) Making virtual calls and linking audio/video, 4) Keeping targets away from genuine information sources. | |||
| The Empty Call: Cons tell their target that law enforcement will call, and the call is used to delay the target’s involvement in the investigation. | |||
| TOI Explains | What is a Digital Arrest?: It’s a way con artists scare by restricting access to digital platforms or accounts or by monitoring and detaining them at their house through video calls. Fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials. They make threats of serious consequences unless the target can be booked before asking them to ‘settle’. | ||
| Final Stage of Scam: The conmen’s target is tricked into sharing sensitive information and making transactions. | |||
| Monetary Transfer: At the end, the target is asked to transfer money, sometimes to fake police officers. | |||
| Major Cases This Year | May 24: A 72-year-old woman in Delhi lost Rs 1.36 crore to a digital arrest scam. Scammers claimed she had 40 bank accounts under her name involved in illegal activities. | ||
| Feb 23: A govt official in Ghaziabad was scammed into paying Rs 1.48 lakh. Scammers used psychological tactics to isolate and convince him to transfer money. | |||
| Feb 11: A 51-year-old Gurgaon man lost Rs 15 lakh to scammers posing as officials claiming he was under investigation for money laundering. | |||
| Jan 20: Four people arrested for cheating a woman in Delhi, posing as officials and claiming she was involved in a scam. | |||
| Cybercrime Growing | 2021: 32,230 fraud cases, 52,974 cybercrime cases, 2,883 extortion cases, 3,434 sextortion cases. | ||
| 2022: 42,710 fraud cases, 65,893 cybercrime cases, 4,535 extortion cases, 3,464 sextortion cases. |
Parcel Calls & Digital Arrests: Scaring You to Scam You
