In a shocking incident of digital fraud, a 26-year-old woman from Borivali East, Mumbai, was duped of Rs. 1.7 lakh and forced to strip during a video call by scammers posing as Delhi Police officers.
Details of the Incident
According to police reports, the scammers contacted the woman on November 19 and claimed that her name had surfaced in an investigation related to money laundering, connected to Naresh Goyal, the jailed founder of Jet Airways.
The scammers threatened her with arrest and moved the conversation to a video call, informing her that she was under ‘digital arrest’. They told her to book a hotel room for further interrogation. Once at the hotel, the scammers instructed her to transfer Rs. 1,78,000 to verify her bank details. They also demanded she strip during the video call for a supposed body verification. Following their instructions, the woman transferred the money and complied with their demands.
Realizing she had been scammed, the woman filed a complaint with the police on November 28. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhit and the Information Technology Act, and the investigation is ongoing.
This case follows a similar scam involving Naresh Goyal’s name, where Shri Paul Oswal, chairman of Vardhman Group, was conned out of Rs. 7 crore. The fraudsters also used the ‘digital arrest’ tactic in that case.
What is ‘Digital Arrest’?
‘Digital arrest’ is a new type of scam where the fraudsters convince the victim that they are under a virtual arrest and must remain connected to them through a video or audio call. The scammers tell the victim that they cannot inform anyone about the arrest, and surveillance continues until the money is transferred to the fraudsters. Police have issued several advisories stating that ‘digital arrest’ is not real. However, the increasing number of such incidents suggests that the message has not reached many people, especially senior citizens, who are less familiar with technology. Recently, these scammers have started targeting younger adults as well.
