A professor at a government medical university in Uttar Pradesh fell victim to a ‘digital arrest’ scam and lost Rs 40 lakh. The scam involved cybercriminals pretending to be law enforcement officials and coercing the professor into transferring money.
According to the professor, she received a call on March 11 from someone claiming to be from Maharashtra. The caller accused her of being involved in illegal activities using a phone number issued under her ID, including text message scams, phishing, and money laundering.
The call was transferred to another individual who claimed to be from Maharashtra police headquarters. They accused her of opening a fraudulent account in Canara Bank, Mumbai, leading to money laundering activities, and threatened her with an arrest warrant.
The professor was then shown documents on Skype, including her phone number, Aadhaar number, and an arrest warrant. She was coerced into transferring Rs 31.31 lakh on March 11 and Rs 9 lakh the next day to the scammers’ account.
The scammers instructed her to maintain constant communication, provide personal information, and avoid contacting anyone else, citing national security concerns. The professor reported the incident to cybercrime police station and filed a complaint, leading to an FIR being registered.
Former SP in Cyber Cell, Triveni Singh, warned that legitimate agencies would not request a presence on a Skype call for investigation or arrest purposes. He emphasized that there is no such thing as a ‘digital arrest.’
