Surveillance, Fear: How People Are Losing Crores To 'Digital Arrest' Scams

There have been several advisories warning people that there is no provision for 'digital arrest' or online investigation in Indian law enforcement and yet, doctors, lawyers and now even the chairman and managing director of a major textile manufacturer have fallen prey to such scams, losing crores in the process. 

What this points to, according to experts, is the fear psychosis that scamsters create in the minds of their victims, making them believe that whatever they are being told is real and they are indeed under investigation for serious crimes, with the potential of being locked up for an extended period if they don't comply. 

Big Brother Is Watching

SP Oswal, chairman and managing director of the Vardhman Group was duped of over Rs 7 crore last month after being told that he was under investigation in a money laundering case. The fraudsters used everything from the CBI, fake documents and even the name of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to convince the 82-year-old that the investigation was real.

One of the key techniques used by every scammer in a 'digital arrest' is surveillance and victims are asked to stay on a video call over Skype, Zoom or any such platform on their laptop and switch to a video call on their phone even if they move to another room. 

The victims are told that the scamsters want to help them and are threatened, like in Mr Oswal's case, with violations of laws like the stringent Official Secrets Act if they even discuss what they are going through with anyone else. 

In the elaborate fraud used to dupe Mr Oswal, the conmen had a man pose as Justice Chandrachud in a courtroom setup, while in others they wore police uniforms and fake CBI or Intelligence Bureau ID cards to reinforce the feeling that the investigation and the 'digital arrest' are both real.

An Even More Sinister Side Too

In April this year, a lawyer from Bengaluru was made to strip for a "narcotics test" as part of a 'digital arrest' and an 'investigation' into a parcel in her name that was sent to Thailand and contained drugs like MDMA and ecstasy.

She was practically held hostage and kept under video surveillance for two days and not only was she duped of Rs 14 lakh, her nude videos were used to try and extort another Rs 10 lakh from her. 

"Because there were police and politicians involved in this high-profile case, I was asked to cooperate with them (the scammers) and not talk to anybody. I was asked to switch on my camera and share my screen so that they could see if I was calling or texting anybody. I was watched the entire day and, even at night, I was asked to keep the camera on and sleep," she had said in her FIR.

The lawyer was asked to keep her video and microphone on at all times and when she asked if he could speak to her family or a police officer, she was told not to do so and was assured that this was for her "own safety".

After emptying her bank account, she was asked to strip for the naroctics test and forced to make lewd videos, with the scammers threatening her that even her family could be arrested since it was a drug trafficking case. 

The fact that this could happen to a lawyer, experts said, shows that even people with knowledge of the law are not immune to such scams, highlighting how vulnerable ordinary people are. 

A doctor in Noida was also kept under 'digital arrest' for two days and ended up losing Rs 60 lakh.

Steps

"Digital arrest is the phenomenon of trying to put somebody in a sense of fear and panic and thereafter going ahead and extortiong money from the said person under some mistaken notion so as to make the said person a victim of a cybercrime," said cyber law expert and advocate Pawan Duggal. 

These are the typical steps in a digital arrest:

• Potential victims get calls that they have been involved in a serious crime like money laundering or drug trafficking and could face a serious jail term unless they cooperate. In some cases, like in Mr Oswal's, it could start with an obvious fraud call that their phone numbers or internet connections would be disconnected, and escalate very quickly from there. 
• The victims are convinced about the authenticity of the scammers through props like uniforms, documents, ID cards and even studios mimicking the offices of agencies. 
• The targets are asked to keep their camera and microphone on at all times and fear is built into them with warnings of consequences.
• They are warned against speaking to anyone about what is happening.
• Sufficiently scared, the victims' do the bidding of the scamsters and are then squeezed for every last penny, ranging from lakhs to crores.

What You Can Do

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, several victims have lost large amounts of money to scammers carrying out 'digital arrests'.

"The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, coordinates activities related to combating cybercrime in the country. MHA is closely working with other ministries and their agencies, RBI and other organisations to counter these frauds. I4C is also providing inputs and technical support to police authorities of states/UTs for identifying and investigating the cases," a statement from the ministry said. 

"Citizens are advised to be alert and spread awareness about these types of frauds. On receipt of such calls, the citizens should immediately report the incident on cybercrime helpline number 1930 or www.cybercrime.gov.in for assistance," it added.

Police forces, including the cybercrime department of the Noida police, have also stressed on the importance of verifying an suspicious calls and checking credentials of callers through the official websites and not just search engines like Google or Bing, where criminals often upload fake numbers.

Experts said the demand for money should immediately raise a red flag as no legitimate investigation can be ended just because an accused has paid an investigator. Even if that happens in a real investigation, that would constitute a bribe.

Most importantly, they emphasised that there is no provision for a 'digital arrest' in Indian law and no one can be compelled to keep their video or microphone on all the time.

The police and experts have encouraged people to report all suspicious calls through the police helpline or cyber helpline 1930.