“Digital Arrest” Scams Cost Indians Over Rs 120 Crore in Four Months: MHA Exposes Southeast Asian Cybercrime Network

New data highlights the growing threat and necessity for vigilance in cyber fraud detection.

Indians have lost a shocking Rs. 120.3 crore to “digital arrest” scams in the first quarter of 2024, as cybercriminals from Southeast Asia have been exploiting a fake law enforcement guise to extort money. This alarming trend has prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue directly.

According to data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), these scams are primarily being executed from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, which account for 46% of cyber fraud reported between January and April 2024. During this period, victims across India lost an estimated Rs. 1,776 crore to various cybercrimes.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has highlighted the scale of this issue, revealing that the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) recorded 7.4 lakh complaints in just the first four months of this year. This number approaches half of 2023’s total of 15.56 lakh complaints, showing a significant rise in cybercrime incidents over the years. For comparison, there were 9.66 lakh complaints in 2022 and 4.52 lakh in 2021.

In “digital arrest” scams, criminals call victims, accusing them of involvement in serious crimes like drug trafficking or possessing fake passports. Victims are often coerced into video calls on platforms like Skype, where scammers impersonate law enforcement officials, complete with uniforms and convincing backgrounds. The criminals demand money to “compromise” and “close” the supposed cases, sometimes forcing victims to remain on camera until their demands are met.

Rajesh Kumar, CEO of I4C, emphasized the sophistication of these scams, stating that criminals use multiple tactics to trap their victims. Besides digital arrests, the report noted significant losses from other scams, including Rs. 1,420.48 crore from trading scams, Rs. 222.58 crore from task-based investment scams, and Rs. 13.23 crore from romance scams.

The analysis also revealed that cybercriminals in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia extensively use social media to lure Indians with fake job offers and other enticing opportunities, exploiting the financial insecurities of unsuspecting victims.

Assam too has been stung by many online frauds. In two major online trading scams, people of Assam have lost crores of rupees. Just yesterday, Assam Police arrested Dipankar Barman, the mastermind behind the multi-crore DB Stock Broking online trading scam.

Bishal Phukan and a few others are being probed by CBI in another online trading scam.
CBI is investigating 41 such cases in Assam.

Also read: Assam: 4 Cyber Criminals Duping People Through OK SMS Application Arrested

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