Digital arrest is a growing cybercrime trend where victims are falsely accused of online offenses and coerced into paying ransom.
Modus Operandi:
1. Scammers create fake profiles or impersonate law enforcement/cybercrime officials.
2. Victims receive messages or calls claiming they've committed online offenses (e.g., sharing obscene content).
3. Threats of arrest, legal action, and social defamation are made.
4. Demands for ransom or sensitive information follow.
A shocking case of digital arrest
A girl from Dimapur, Nagaland was studying in Gorakhpur. She received a call from an individual posing as an SBI official. The scammer said that she has not made payment of her loan and she will have to go to jail. Then, she received a WhatsApp call from a number with a DP of a police officer, who threatened her to immediately come to Hyderabad and get the bail, otherwise she have to face the jail.
The victim girl get scared and pleaded. Then the fake cop asked her to get bail online and get Rs 38000 transferred to an account. The girl was then forced to take off her clothes on video call to verify her identity. After some time, the victim gets another call and the cybercriminal threatened to leak her nude video and demanded Rs 1 lakh. The girl has lodged a complaint with the police in this entire matter and the police are searching for the accused.