Caught in the Web of Deceit: The Digital Arrest Scam
A 70-year-old retired SAIL superintendent lost Rs. 21 lakh to cyber criminals in a 'digital arrest' scam, where fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials accused him of terror funding. Manipulated into compliance, he transferred money, eventually realizing the con and reporting to cyber police.
- Country:
- India
In a disturbing incident of cybercrime, a retired superintendent from the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) became a victim of a sophisticated 'digital arrest' scam, losing Rs 21 lakh. The 70-year-old from Nagpur received a video call from an impersonator posing as a Mumbai police officer, wrongfully accusing him of being involved in terror funding.
The scammers, posing as law enforcement authorities, demanded the retiree's personal documentation, and deceitfully presented fabricated 'terror funding' evidence to escalate the pressure. His wife, contacted by an individual pretending to be from the Enforcement Directorate, was misled into believing that a case had been filed under stringent anti-terrorism laws.
Defrauded under the pretense of an RBI 'inspection', the retired official transferred the funds, only later realizing the deception. Authorities have now begun an investigation after the victim sought help from the cyber police.
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