The woman spent 6 hours in a virtual prison and lost more than $2000.
A resident of New Delhi, India, has fallen victim to a new form of fraud known as "digital arrest." As part of the scheme, criminals posing as law enforcement officers demand a ransom for allegedly committed crimes.
The fraud started with a phone call, when the attackers introduced themselves as officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of India. They informed the woman that her husband was charged with serious crimes and, in order to avoid arrest and keep the case secret, the woman was offered to pay a significant amount.
A misled woman spent 6 hours talking to fraudsters while under "digital arrest". She transferred 200,000 rupees (more than $2,300) to the attackers and was preparing to make another transfer when her husband returned home. It was at this moment that she realized that she was the victim of a deception.
Delhi police quickly responded and arrested three suspects involved in the scam. According to local media, the detainees had previously used similar schemes, posing as CBI officers and threatening to arrest the victims relatives.
One of the detainees previously worked for Airtel Payments Bank, which gave him a good knowledge of the banking system, which is necessary for conducting fraudulent transactions. Another was engaged in the sale of SIM cards, which allowed him to get fake documents for the purchase of mobile numbers. The third suspect provided access to bank accounts registered in fake names. During the operation, law enforcement agencies seized 15 mobile phones, 15 bank cards and 14 SIM cards from the suspects.
While "digital arrest" appears to be a new type of fraud, it is similar in nature to many other cybercrimes that use fear to extort money from victims. Such schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, as scammers actively use data from social networks and information leaks to convince the victim of their plausibility.
Experts note that scammers often play on the panic of victims in order to extract additional information during a conversation, which is then used for further deception. In some cases, victims may even hear fake crying sounds to create the illusion that a loved one is in danger. More advanced attackers can create fake websites for paying fines that mimic official law enforcement resources to further confuse the victim and force them to transfer money.
Such schemes are most often found in India, but their distribution is not limited to this country. Fraud of this kind is also observed in other parts of the world, although the scale is much smaller there. Rapid digitalization and a trusting population make the Indian subcontinent particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. In combination with deepfakes, we can expect that the number of such scams will only grow.
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A resident of New Delhi, India, has fallen victim to a new form of fraud known as "digital arrest." As part of the scheme, criminals posing as law enforcement officers demand a ransom for allegedly committed crimes.
The fraud started with a phone call, when the attackers introduced themselves as officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of India. They informed the woman that her husband was charged with serious crimes and, in order to avoid arrest and keep the case secret, the woman was offered to pay a significant amount.
A misled woman spent 6 hours talking to fraudsters while under "digital arrest". She transferred 200,000 rupees (more than $2,300) to the attackers and was preparing to make another transfer when her husband returned home. It was at this moment that she realized that she was the victim of a deception.
Delhi police quickly responded and arrested three suspects involved in the scam. According to local media, the detainees had previously used similar schemes, posing as CBI officers and threatening to arrest the victims relatives.
One of the detainees previously worked for Airtel Payments Bank, which gave him a good knowledge of the banking system, which is necessary for conducting fraudulent transactions. Another was engaged in the sale of SIM cards, which allowed him to get fake documents for the purchase of mobile numbers. The third suspect provided access to bank accounts registered in fake names. During the operation, law enforcement agencies seized 15 mobile phones, 15 bank cards and 14 SIM cards from the suspects.
While "digital arrest" appears to be a new type of fraud, it is similar in nature to many other cybercrimes that use fear to extort money from victims. Such schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, as scammers actively use data from social networks and information leaks to convince the victim of their plausibility.
Experts note that scammers often play on the panic of victims in order to extract additional information during a conversation, which is then used for further deception. In some cases, victims may even hear fake crying sounds to create the illusion that a loved one is in danger. More advanced attackers can create fake websites for paying fines that mimic official law enforcement resources to further confuse the victim and force them to transfer money.
Such schemes are most often found in India, but their distribution is not limited to this country. Fraud of this kind is also observed in other parts of the world, although the scale is much smaller there. Rapid digitalization and a trusting population make the Indian subcontinent particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. In combination with deepfakes, we can expect that the number of such scams will only grow.
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