A first-year IIT Bombay student became a victim to a con man who posed as an employee of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) by threatening the student of ‘digital arrest’ and compelling him to pay ₹ 7.29 lakh, the police said on Tuesday.
Digital Arrest Scam / Cyber Fraud
A relatively new and fast-emerging facet of cyber fraud is what is currently being referred to as the ‘digital arrest’ or impersonation by fraudsters where they build a fake credibility by mimicking either the police or government agencies over audio/video call. They aggressively keep the victims incapacitated and demand that payments be made in order to release the victims.
IIT Bombay Student Loses 7 lakh Rupees in a Scam
“In July this year, the 25-year-old victim received a call from an unknown number,” the spokesman said. The caller explained to him that he was an employee of the TRAI and that 17 complaints of unlawful activities have been filed against his mobile number, said a police officer at the Powai police station in Mumbai.
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The caller informed the victim that in order he/she has to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the police in order to prevent the deactivation of his number, and said that he was transferring the call to the Cyber Crime Branch, he said.
“A WhatsApp video call later I saw a man dressed in what looked like a police uniform.” He forwarded the message which contained the Aadhaar details and some of the nuisance vile threats and accused the victim of being involved in money laundering. He forced to transfer ₹ 29,500 to the student’s account through UPI, which is a digital payment method, he also said.
The accused went on to the threaten the victim telling him that he was under virtual arrest and was not free to talk to anyone, he said. He said the victim, a 25-year-old, got a call from an unknown number in July this year. They received a call that disguise an employee of the TRAI stating that, there are seventeen-consumer complaints filed alleging unlawful activities on his new mobile number, says an officer at Powai police station in Mumbai.
The caller said that in order to prevent his number from getting deactivated, the ‘victim’ should obtain a no objection certificate from the police — and then informed the ‘victim’ that he was connecting his call to the Cyber Crime Branch, he said.
The scammers called him the next day asking for more money. This time, the victim disclosed his account details; the fraudsters then withdrew ₹ over 7 lakh from the poor man’s account. Upon the return of the money, the accused informed him that he is safe and will not be arrested, the fake police said.
Filled with remorse after an internet search about the digital arrest, the student went physically to the police and filed a complaint against the unknown accused, the official added.
