A 67-year-old Mumbai-based woman was placed under “digital arrest” by online fraudsters, who forced her to pay Rs 14 lakh in exchange of clearing her name in a non-existent money laundering case, police have said.
As per the advisory of cyber-security agency CERT-In, a digital arrest is the one in which victims receive a phone call, an e-mail or a message claiming they are under investigation for illegal activities, such as identity theft or money laundering.
“The scammer threatens the victim with arrest or legal consequences unless he takes immediate action. They often create a sense of panic to prevent rational thinking. Under the guise of “clearing their name”, “assisting with the investigation” or “refundable security deposit/escrow account”, individuals are coerced into transferring large sums of money to specified bank accounts or UPI IDs,” the advisory said.