First LIVE Rescue: How Cops Saved Bhopal Businessman From Fake Digital Arrest, Multi-Crore Loot

Bhopal: Amid rising cases of digital arrest, the Madhya Pradesh Police saved a businessman from being looted by cyber criminals who posed as officials. The cyber criminals threatened the businessman and got him on a video call. While being put on digital arrest, the businessman had alerted the local police. Vivek Oberoi, a resident of Arera Colony in the city, received a call around 1 pm on Saturday. The scammers connected Oberoi to people who identified themselves as CBI and Mumbai crime branch officials, reported PTI. They impersonated officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Mumbai Cyber Crime Branch, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).They trapped Oberoi by claiming that several bogus bank accounts were opened using his Aadhaar, which they said was also used for purchasing SIM cards for unsolicited marketing, the police statement read. The cyber crooks told Oberoi to download the Skype video app and asked him to stay in a room. During that time, the businessman alerted the MP cyber police and cops reached his home amid his 'digital arrest'.As the police reached the spot, they demanded ID verification of the fake law-enforcement officials, the fraudsters disconnected the video call. While the conmen had got the businessman's bank details during his "digital arrest", he didn't transfer any money, the release added.

What Is Digital Arrest?"Digital arrest" is a type of online fraud where scammers impersonate law enforcement or government officials to convince victims that they are under arrest.These scammers do their background research well. They know where the victim lives, who are all there in their family, where they go for holidays, etc, thanks to the victim’s social media. They mostly target the elderly who live alone and don’t have that much online literacy.Till date, I4C has blocked over 1000 fake Skype IDs. According to an India Today report, these scammers are a part of a bigger racket which includes Indians who were taken to South-Asian countries on the pretext of work and are now made to do this. Some scammers have also been traced back to Nuh and Mewat in Haryana. How can you protect yourself?If you get a fishy call, and they ask you to join a video call, don’t get scared and cross question them. Tell them that you will physically visit the office to sort out the situation. And never be scared to seek help. You can even report such calls on the cybercrime helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.