Indians lost ₹120 cr in digital arrest frauds in Jan-April quarter this year: Report

Indians lost about ₹120.3 crore in ‘digital arrest’ frauds, in the first quarter of this year, according to the government data. The frauds were highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

As many as 7.4 lakh complaints were received between January 1 and April 30 this year, while 15.56 lakh complaints were received in 2023, according to yhe National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) data as reported by Indian Express. As many as 9.66 lakh complaints were reported in 2022, up from 4.52 lakh in 2021.

“We found that Indians lost ₹120.30 crore in digital arrest, ₹1,420.48 crore in trading scam, ₹222.58 crore in investments scam, and ₹13.23 crore in romance/dating scam,” Chief Executive Officer of Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Rajesh Kumar had said while releasing the January-April data in May, according to a report in Indian Express

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) monitors cyber crime I4C. The d igital arrests have of late become a prevalent method of digital fraud, according to the ministry. Many of those carrying out these frauds are based in three contiguous south-east Asian countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

PM Modi cautions

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concern over "digital arrest fraud" while addressing the nation in the 115th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on October 27. Modi played an audio-video clip that showed a man donning a police uniform and asking the person (victim) on the other end to share his Aadhaar number to get a mobile number blocked.

“This audio is not just for information, this is not an entertainment audio...It has emerged with a deep concern. The conversation you just heard pertains to the fraud of Digital Arrest. This conversation is between a victim and a fraudster,” Modi said.

The Modus Operandi is simple. In these frauds, potential victims get a call in which the caller would tell them that they had sent or expected to recieve a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports, or other contraband. Later the criminals would contact through video calls posing as law enforcement officers and demand money for a ‘compromise’ and ‘closure of the case.’

The victims are made to undergo 'digital arrest' and remain visually available over the video call till the demands are meant. The victims often end up sending whatever money fruadsters demand to steer clear of 'punishment.'

In its analysis of trends from January to April, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre found that 46 per cent of cyber frauds reported in this period—in which the victims cumulatively Lost an estimated ₹1,776crore— originated in these three countries.