Digital Arrest is an online scam or a cyber fraud where scammers trick victims by impersonating government officials or a law enforcement agency officials , like CBI, income tax officials or customs officials to extort money from them. These scammers approach victims using audio or video calls, mainly Skype and intimidate people using psychological manipulation and threats to convince them that they are involved in some serious criminal activities. The victims are kept in continuous communication with the scammer until their demands are met. In certain cases the scammers use the props like fake uniforms, ID cards and the document and the deepfake videos of government officials to make the settings more authentic. To prevent victims from asking for assistance or discussing the events with others, the victims are also told to keep their cameras and microphones during the encounter. In order to fix the problem, the scammer forces victims to send substantial sums of money via gift cards, bank transfers, UPI, or even cryptocurrency transactions. This type of scams preys on fear and confusion, exploiting the victim’s knowledge about the legal processes.

BOOM has reported on several alarming cases related to ‘Digital Arrests’. For instance, In August, SP Oswal, head of Vardhman Group, was defrauded of a staggering Rs 7 crore. The scammers perform a highly elaborate ruse, complete with impersonations and forged documents. Posing as officials, the fraudsters conducted a video call wearing ID cards and civilian attire, where one impersonated Chief Justice DY Chandrachud presiding over a mock court hearing. Oswal was then sent a fabricated court order via WhatsApp, followed by demands to deposit Rs 7 crore into multiple accounts. The scammer also created a fake arrest warrant from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that was stamped with the Mumbai Police and the ED's monogram. Since police stamps are absent from authentic ED warrants, this fact alone was a clear warning sign. Investigations revealed that these scammers operated remotely from locations in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, using psychological manipulation on an industrial scale.

Another incident from October involved a 23-year-old woman from Faridabad, Haryana, who experienced the exact scam. The fraudsters tricked her into giving them Rs 2.5 lakh in return for making her go through a torturous period of 17 days in a "digital arrest". Both these incidents are representative of how conmen psychologically manipulate their victims, impersonate loved ones and instill terror so that one is forced to oblige. Stronger cybersecurity safeguards, increased knowledge, and increased vigilance are all necessary in light of these instances. They also emphasize how important it is for people to confirm the accuracy of any financial or legal claims and to notify cybercrime authorities right once of any suspicious activity.

Government data reveals that nearly half of all cyber fraud cases between January and April this year—amounting to Rs 1,776 crore—originated from these regions. Recently, during his Mann Ki Baat radio show address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought up the issue and urged people to be extremely alert against the psychological pressure tactics of scammers. Modi emphasized 'stop, think and act' when dealing with such eventualities.