Senior citizens placed under ‘digital arrest’ by online fraudsters will be forced to pay Rs 14 lakh

A 67-year-old woman from Mumbai was put under “digital arrest” by online fraudsters, who forced her to pay Rs 14 lakh in exchange for clearing her name in a non-existent money laundering case, police said.

According to advice from cybersecurity agency CERT-In, a digital arrest is one in which victims receive a phone call, email or message claiming they are under investigation for illegal activities, such as identity theft or money laundering. .

“The scammer threatens the victim with arrest or legal consequences unless he takes immediate action. They often create a sense of panic to prevent rational thinking. Under the guise of ‘clearing their names’, ‘assisting in investigation’ or ‘refundable deposit/escrow account’, individuals are being forced to transfer large sums of money to specific bank accounts or UPI IDs,” the advisory said.

Speaking about the case involving the elderly woman, a police official said on Monday, “The suspect posed as personnel of the Delhi Telecom Department and Cyber ​​Crime Department. They placed her under ‘digital arrest’ after accusing her of being involved with a high-profile moneylender. money laundering case. The crime took place between September 1 and 5. The victim stays with her sister-in-law in Kandivali West in Mumbai.”

“A case was registered on Saturday based on her complaint at the North Region Cyber ​​police station. According to the complaint, the woman received a call on September 1 from a person who identified himself as an official of the Delhi Telecom Department. She was told there was a case. was registered against her with the Delhi cybercrime wing. The suspect told the woman that her Aadhaar card was used in the crime,” he said.

The suspect then made her speak to his accomplice, who posed as cybercrime officer Rakesh Kumar, the official added.

“After being shown three fake Delhi police letters and told she could be jailed for three to five years by Kumar and an accused woman who identified herself as Shobha Sharma, the victim became scared. Sharma then asked the victim about her bank accounts and mutual funds, fixed deposits and also asked her to go to the bank and deposit all investments into the bank account given by her,” he said.

“On Sharma’s instructions, the victim went to the bank, broke fixed deposits, mutual funds and savings and deposited Rs 14 lakh into the specified account number through RTGS. The caller promised to return the money after verification. The woman realized she had done that. cheated after speaking to her son following which she approached the police,” the official said.