Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre Issues Advisory on Rising 'Digital Arrest' Scams

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre issued a public advisory on Saturday addressing the rising number of 'digital arrest' scams in India.

The advisory emphasised that law enforcement agencies such as the CBI, police, customs, ED, or judges do not make arrests via video calls and warned the public to stay vigilant against these fraudulent schemes.

The advisory also noted that these scams frequently involve communication through social media platforms like WhatsApp and Skype.

It also encouraged individuals to report these crimes by calling the helpline 1930 or visiting the cyber crime website.

India has recently witnessed an increase in digital arrest scams. 'Digital arrest' is a cyber crime where fraudsters, posing as law enforcement officials, contact individuals via SMS or video calls.

They falsely accuse the target or their family of involvement in crimes like drug trafficking or money laundering, claiming an arrest is being made over the call.